Chuck vs ds al Coda
by Amelia Wolfson
Summary: A continuation of Chuck Vs. The Band Nerds. Where are Chuck and Jenny now? Where have their lives led them since they parted after the band competition?
1. Chapter 1

"Mom, have you seen Molly's diaper bag?" Sarah called from where she stood in the living room, head in the coat closet.

"I have it, Sweetheart," Emma called back as she carried her granddaughter and the diaper bag into the living room. "You brought it into her room yesterday to refill it, remember?"

"Right," Sarah sighed rubbing her forehead, "I should have known that."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Sarah," Emma advised, "You have a lot on your plate. You and Molly just moved here, you're starting a new job, a new school, not to mention being a featured soloist in next month's LA Phil season opening. It's understandable to be a little forgetful."

"I'm just so overwhelmed, Mom," Sarah gave her mom a sad smile.

"There is no shame in asking for help, Honey," Emma assured her daughter who was shouldering her purse and the strap of her violin case over her right shoulder, "It takes a lot of bravery to admit that you need it."

"I feel like I'm failing her," Sarah shook her head, "You were able to do it alone… at least until I left with Dad. I still can't apologize to you enough for doing that. I don't know how I would take it if Molly did the same to me when she's older."

"Well to start with, I wasn't alone," Emma gave her daughter a soft smile, "I had your dad for a while, but when he went back to his swindling ways, I had a group of friends who would rotate watching you along with their own little ones while I worked. There were months of living on food stamps to make sure we both got a little something to eat. Even after I found a better job and you went to school; you were on free lunches until the day your father came back and charmed you away with tales of adventure."

"I don't remember that," Sarah shook her head.

"How could you?" Emma shook her head with a small chuckle, "You were so young, but that's not the point I'm trying to make here. You are not Wonder Woman, and no one expects you to do it all alone. Parenting is hard whether there are one or two parents, or in Miss Molly's case a parent and a grandparent. We'll get through it, together, we just have to take it one day at a time."

"Speaking of time," Sarah looked at her watch, "It's about time for us to go."

"Then let's go," Emma nodded, following her daughter out to where their cars were parked. Sarah's bright red corolla had a car seat in the back seat, diagonally from the driver's seat so Sarah could reach back to her daughter when needed. Sarah opened the front passenger seat, depositing her violin case and purse before taking the diaper bag from her mom and setting that on the ground in front of the passenger seat as well. She then opened the rear door and turned back to her mom.

"Alright, baby girl," Emma cooed, "You are going to have so much fun at daycare, gonna meet so many new friends and play all day, get a nap, some lunch and snacks then Granny will come pick you up." She kissed the little girl on her cheek with a loud smack, causing the 18-month-old to giggle, "I love you, baby girl."

Sarah smiled at the display and accepted her daughter in her arms, transferring her into her newly front-facing car seat and buckling the straps over the little girl's chest and lap. She turned back to her mom, wrapping her arms around the slightly shorter woman. "Thank you for keeping me sane," She sighed in her mother's ear, "I don't know how I could do this without you."

"You'd figure it out, just like every parent does," Emma assured her, "But I'm glad you are letting me be a part of this with you, at least until a better option comes along."

"Mom," Sarah warned.

"What?" Emma gave her daughter an innocent look, "After that idiot, Brent… Brody… Brian?

"You know his name, Mom," Sarah rolled her eyes, "I know you've been worried about me since Bruce up and left me after finding out I was pregnant with Molly."

"I just want you to find someone who will love you and Molly like you deserve to be loved," Emma pressed her hand against her daughter's cheek, "I spent years miserable after your father left before I let myself open up to the possibility of love again."

"I'm sorry I never got to meet Bill," Sarah met her mother's eyes, "He sounded like a wonderful man."

"He truly was," Emma wiped a tear away at the thought of her now deceased second husband, "He would have loved you and Molly. But cancer doesn't give breaks for good people, and he had smoked since he was 15. Life is sometimes not fair, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to find some good while you can."

"Mom, I have all the good I need right now," Sarah took her mother's hands in hers, "I have Molly and you; I don't need you setting me up with some coworker's son."

"No setup, promise," Emma shook her head slightly, "Just advice to not let a good thing pass you by if you find it. In my experience, it likes to sneak up on you when you least expect it. If Bill hadn't come into the hospital to check up on one of his guys, we never would have met."

"I promise, if I find myself in some made for a TV Movie meet cute, I won't let it pass me by," Sarah nodded, turning back to the car and shutting Molly's door. "I should be home in time for dinner, assuming rehearsal doesn't go too late. I love you."

"I love you too, Sweetheart," Emma hugged her daughter, "Now get going, last thing you and Molly need is to be late to your first days of school."

"Yes, Mom." Sarah grinned, getting in her car and pulling out of the driveway and toward the home of Anne Johnson, an in-home childcare provider who lived a few blocks away from the high school where she was starting her new job as the associate band director.

It didn't take long to arrive at Anne's house, a charming two-story craftsman house with an open floor plan. There was plush carpeting in the living and playrooms which were separated by a kitchen and dining area. It didn't take long for Anne to answer the door when she knocked. It was still fairly early, so it wasn't terribly busy aside from the handful of teens and young adults, Anne's children, sleepily shuffling around as they started their day. There was also another woman a few years older than herself, wearing blue scrubs, likely a doctor or a nurse, and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was crouched down by a leather loveseat tucking in a sleepy little girl who looked to be about four or five years old with an afghan from the back of the loveseat.

The woman in the scrubs kissed the little girl on the forehead and turned to bid Anne goodbye. Anne took the opportunity to introduce them. Apparently, the woman's name was Ellie, and she and her husband were both specialists at Westside Medical. The older woman gave Sarah a warm smile which she quickly returned.

"Ellie, this is Sarah," Anne spoke. Anne was a woman in her mid to late 40's with dark curly hair which was starting to show a bit of grey at the temples. "Sarah is new to town; she's going to be teaching over at Burbank High School."

"And who is this?" Ellie gestured to Molly who had chosen this moment to be shy and bury her head in her mother's shoulder.

"This is Molly, my daughter," Sarah tried to get Molly to wave hello, but the little girl wasn't having it. "She's still tired."

"You can tuck her in with my daughter, Clara over there." Ellie suggested, "When we work early shifts like this, I will usually bring her over in her jammies and put her back to bed when we get here so she can get a little more sleep. Anne will get her dressed and off to school in a few hours. She is great about that."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sarah nodded, "High school starts way earlier for the teachers than it does for the students. Which is still way too early for Molly."

"Speaking of," Anne cut in, "Don't you two have places to be?"

"Yeah, I'll see you later, Anne," Ellie nodded and headed toward the door as Sarah shrugged her acquiescence before laying Molly down on the love seat, end to end with Clara, making sure the afghan covered both the sleeping girls.

"Okay, Molly, be good for Miss Anne. Mommy loves you," Sarah whispered to her daughter before kissing her on the cheek and heading back toward the front door, giving Anne a small smile when the older woman bid her a good day.

"I wish I could say it gets easier," Sarah turned to see Ellie who was leaning against her own car.

"No kidding, it feels like I left a bit of my soul in there," Sarah sighed.

"Well you did," Ellie gave her a soft smile, "It took me nearly a year before I could fully go back to work after having Clara. I took three months maternity leave, and tried to go back to work, while my husband took paternity leave, but all I could think about was being home with my little girl."

"I wish I could stay home with her all the time, but it's just the two of us," Sarah gave a small shrug, "My mom helps some now that we've moved here, but she works too, and the goal is to only stay with her long enough for me to find my own place."

Ellie's eyes lit up, "There's an apartment in my condo complex that just came available. Why don't you come take a look at it sometime? If you like it, I'm sure I can convince my husband and brother to help you move your stuff over. Come to think, my brother is about your age…"

"Oh no, don't go starting that," Sarah rolled her eyes, "I already had to fend off my mom's matchmaker attempt this morning."

"Point taken," Ellie nodded in acceptance, "He doesn't like it when I try to set him up either. Could you use a friend? Anne did say you were new in town, so I figure you may not have many around here."

"I'd like that," Sarah nodded with a smile. The women quickly exchanged numbers, got in their cars and drove to their respective jobs.

* * *

Chuck groaned as he laid his head on his desk. He'd been hard at work finishing the coding for his latest game and was getting a migraine. There had been a time, even just a few years ago that he could join Morgan in marathon gaming sessions all night, then work all the next day, with no problem. Now, though, headaches were becoming a frequent occurrence, it was almost to the point where he was considering following his sister's advice and seeing about getting glasses. "Ugh kill me now," He groaned, rubbing his temple with one hand while pulling a bottle of ibuprofen from his desk drawer. He shook two pills out into his hand and swallowed them down with the last few swallows of coffee that had long ago grown cold.

Five years ago, when he'd graduated Stanford, he had been so excited to introduce himself to the gaming market. Two years later, his first game had been developed as his thesis project for his Master's Degree in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. With the first game's release, and the successful release the next year of two more games, Orion Games became the breakout star of the gaming industry. Things were still going well for the company, he had a small, but loyal staff, a few of whom, like Skip, who was working for him part time while completing his own computer science bachelors at UCLA, he had brought over from the BuyMore. It had actually been Morgan who had encouraged Chuck to take Skip in the first place, something he thanked his little buddy for every day as Skip was quickly becoming his right-hand coder in the company.

However, with Skip entering his final year for his bachelor's degree, he wasn't as available as he had been the previous couple years. This left Chuck with the lion's share of the work for this current project as he and Skip were the only ones who worked on coding and game development. Morgan had been encouraging him for months to take on at least one or two more coders and developers to share the workload, as the company was bound to need them at their current and projected rate of growth, especially once Skip graduated in the spring.

Morgan, who had been his first official hire, was an excellent office manager and was dating their accounting specialist, Alex, a former military brat who had settled in California when her father, a major with the US Marine Corps had been assigned to Camp Pendleton. She had wound up at USC for college where she met Morgan who was also attending part time at Chuck's encouragement. With Morgan in Business Administration and Alex in Accounting, they'd shared some classes and eventually study sessions became study dates and eventually just dating until they had both graduated about the time that Chuck had earned his master's degree.

Christina and Nathaniel made up their marketing and advertisement team, and Brody was responsible for educational outreach. Between the three of them, the educational games that the company had been developing since its inception had become very popular with many of the grade schools not only in the LA area, but their software was being picked up by schools and families throughout the West Coast and slowly spreading East.

Originally, Bryce was supposed to have been a part of this dream team. Orion Games had been Chuck and Bryce's brainchild. All those dreams of graduating and working together after college had been shattered their senior year. Chuck had returned after acing an especially difficult midterm to find his girlfriend Jill in his bed, but she wasn't alone. The fraternity took quick action, immediately evicting Bryce from the fraternity house and the fraternity altogether. They had even banded together and pooled their money to help Chuck recoup the cost of the ring he'd been planning to propose to Jill with that Christmas. Heartbroken, he'd thrown himself deeper into his studies and graduated with distinction at the end of that year and powered through the next two to earn his master's.

Ellie had been not-so-quietly ecstatic when Chuck broke the news to her about his breakup, as she had never been shy about her disapproval of his girlfriend, but also saddened at the hurt her little brother had experienced. He nearly had to go back home and physically restrain Ellie from coming to Palo Alto to get retribution on Jill. Much to Chuck's relief, her boyfriend proposed a few weeks later which distracted her enough to let Chuck focus on the rest of the school year. It was hard at first, but he was surprised at how quickly he had gotten over her. Losing Bryce was almost harder, but although he had forgiven Bryce's actions, resuming their friendship was not in the cards. A week before graduation, Bryce disappeared, never to be seen again. Rumor had it that he was an accountant for some big company back East, but no one knew for sure.

Since then Chuck had moved on with his life, he was a doting uncle to his sister's five-year-old daughter, Clara and quite often would volunteer to babysit to give his sister and brother-in-law time to relax for a bit or get out for a date. His headache was just starting to fade when he heard a knock on his office door. Looking up, he saw Morgan enter. "Hey, Buddy, what's up?"

Morgan just looked at him incredulously, "Chuck, do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Not really," Chuck shrugged looking toward his window to see light behind the blinds he had closed to reduce the glare on his monitor. "Afternoon?"

"Okay that's it," Morgan marched around Chuck's desk, pulled his taller friend out of his chair, and pushed him toward the door, "It is 9 in the morning and I'm fairly certain that you haven't left your desk except to get takeout." He looked around, "Or perhaps delivery. Did you seriously get Red Dragon without me?"

Chuck just gave him a look as he reluctantly walked out of his office, his friend lecturing him the whole way about getting proper sleep, eating, and hygiene and how they all go out the window when Chuck is absorbed in a project. As the lecture reached its conclusion, Morgan turned Chuck to face him, a stern look in his eye as he informed Chuck that he'd called a cab, not trusting his friend's driving ability after being up for over 30 hours and was sending him home with strict instructions to sleep.

"As your best friend, hetero life partner, and office manager," Morgan insisted to Chuck's rolling eyes, "I don't want to see you back here until next Monday. You are to go home, rest, and do something other than making video games. Maybe you could get Ellie and Awesome to let you take Clara to the beach, play your guitar, write a song; you haven't done any of those things in a long time. I don't care what you do, so long as you don't do it here. Ellie is aware I'm sending you home. She and Awesome have already confiscated your hardware so you can't work on the game from home."

"Morgan, I don't think that's really necessary," Chuck groaned.

"Oh, but it is," Morgan countered, "You forget, I was around the first time you got like this, when I sent you home, you went right to your computer and continued working, which is what we are trying to get you to not do right now. You are seriously more caffeine than man right now and you need a serious detox, and that's really saying something considering my red bull addiction."

A honking horn cut off any retort Chuck would have had as the men turned to see a yellow taxi sitting out front waiting for its fare to come out. "I hate you so much right now," Chuck grumbled as he reluctantly ambled down the stairs and to the taxi.

"Love you too, man," Morgan gave him a wide grin and waved as Chuck pulled away in the taxi before adding under his breath "He seriously needs to learn what work-life balance means…"

* * *

"Alright, Lucy, let's run that section one more time," Sarah advised the sophomore who she was working with one-on-one that day. The school had a small violin section, only about 4 or 5 in the lower bands and about 8 in the orchestra. Since the head director didn't play strings, it had been left up to Sarah to work with the students who needed a little extra help in the violin, bass, and cello sections.

Sarah smiled at the young girl reassuringly as they positioned their violins and held their bows at the ready. "One, two, three, four," Sarah counted them in, setting the pace for the section they were working on. Lucy was a little shaky at first but as she continued, her confidence built and soon, Sarah had backed off as they hit the D.S. al coda. By the time Lucy reached the coda, Sarah was no longer playing.

"That was great!" Sarah praised with a wide smile, "Do you want to try it playing violin 1 while I play violin 2?"

"Okay," Lucy nodded, her smile giving away how proud she was of herself.

"We'll take it from bar 12, and play through to the end of the section," Sarah instructed. When she received a nod from Lucy, she counted them in, and they started their parts. Lucy went sour a couple times but was otherwise successful.

Sarah couldn't help the grin that grew on her face, Lucy had approached her the other day after the director, Mrs. Tucker, had asked Sarah to play a section of Paganini's Caprice No. 4. It was the same piece she would be playing solo at the season opening of the L.A. Phil the following month. By the time she had finished, most of the string section was in awe of her, realizing that the skill she needed to play the piece was well above the capabilities of most professional violinists. The awe turned to amazement from the entire band when, with a smirk on her face, she began to play the solo from 'Devil went down to Georgia,' which was more easily recognized by the group of teens. Lucy had not been the only one to ask for help, but she was the only one who would show up consistently. Since Sarah usually had rehearsal after school, she mentored her students during third period, when the students had their lunch breaks, either before or after the period. She used the 35 minutes in between the two lunch periods to rehearse for the Philharmonic

Sarah glanced at her watch and noticed there was 15 minutes left of the 45-minute lunch break left for her to eat before her last classes of the day. "Alright, Lucy, that will have to be all for today," Sarah advised, "I still have to eat, and so do you. Good work today, if you keep this up, you will be able to mount your first chair challenge… and win."

"Thanks Miss Walker," Lucy grinned, putting her violin and bow away before collecting her sheet music and scurrying off to eat.

Sarah smiled at the girl's retreating form before putting her own instrument away, stretching her back which had gotten tight from sitting on the hard chair in the rehearsal room, and walking across the narrow hall to the office she shared with the head director. Pulling a salad from the small mini-fridge the women shared, she settled at her desk and quickly ate finishing just as the bell signaling the end of the period chimed through the building.

The last two periods of the day went by quickly, and she had just enough time to grab an iced coffee on her way to the Walt Disney Concert Hall for rehearsal. They focused on two of the pieces from the middle of their program, including her solo. She had memorized the piece almost immediately after being awarded the solo and practiced it in part or in whole several times a day outside of the full orchestra rehearsals. Due to being one of the youngest members of the orchestra, and the youngest member of the violin section, she had to pretend not to hear the grumbling that was still occurring within her section over her being awarded the solo over the more seasoned violinists. The maestro commended her on the near perfect execution of her piece and gave her a few notes before calling an end to the rehearsal.

Driving home, she saw a sign for nearby activities and a memory from her childhood came flooding back to her. As the next day was Saturday and she had no rehearsal, she was free to do as she wished. Seeing the sign gave her an idea of how she could spend the day with her daughter, and perhaps her mother if the older woman wasn't working.

Upon arrival, she joined her mother for dinner then fed and bathed Molly before putting her to bed. The women relaxed on the couch with the baby monitor on the coffee table, listening for any indication that the toddler had awoken. Within a half an hour, they were sure Molly wasn't going to wake up any time soon. Sarah raised her idea for a family outing to her mother, who loved the idea, especially since she had the day off from the hospital.

The women sat up a few more hours quietly talking about their days, plans, and upcoming events, before finally resigning themselves to sleep and parting to enjoy the soft comfort of their own mattresses.


	2. Chapter 2

Saturday dawned bright through the curtains of Chuck's bedroom, causing him to groan and turn over, pulling one of his spare pillows over his head to block the light. He was just about to fall back asleep when a loud knocking came from his front door. "Really?" He groused stumbling out of bed and down the stairs of the small one-bedroom apartment he'd moved into when Orion Games had begun to turn a profit. He saw no need to purchase a house when it was just him and liked being close to his sister and brother-in-law and their daughter. Of course, living so close tended to lead to moments like this where he got early morning visitors who had no respect for his desire to sleep.

Opening the door revealed no big surprise as he was met with the excited, smiling face of his older sister. "Elle, it's too early in the morning for this," He huffed, stepping back from the door, knowing from experience it was better to just let her say her piece than to shut the door in her face which he often felt like doing when she woke him up like this.

"It's not that early," Ellie countered, following her brother into his apartment as he shuffled his way into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, "And besides, it's easier to find a good spot if you go early."

"Then how about you guys go ahead, and I'll join you later," Chuck yawned as he reached for a mug in the cabinet above the coffee maker.

"Because we both know you won't join us later," Ellie gave him a knowing look as she leaned against the archway leading to the small kitchen area.

"That may well be true, usually," Chuck pointed out as he pulled out a bowl and a box of fruity-o's and prepared his breakfast as he continued to speak, "But you are forgetting one crucial thing. I promised Clara I would be there, and you know I can't lie to that face."

"In that case, if you are going to be there, why not just go with us?" Ellie challenged.

"Because, contrary to popular belief in the Woodcomb and Grimes households, I am an adult and capable of getting myself from point 'A' to point 'B' with little to no supervision," Chuck rolled his eyes as he carried his bowl of cereal and coffee to the dining room table and took a seat. "I know you were one of the driving forces to Morgan mandating I take a break from work."

"Chuck you hadn't slept in days," Ellie countered, "And while I know you are an adult and capable of taking care of yourself, when you are deep into a project, you often let pesky things like sleep, eating, and personal appearance go to the wayside. You're my little brother and it is my right to worry about you."

"I appreciate that," Chuck nodded, slowly chewing his cereal, "But do you really have to worry so much? I mean, I could have been done with the game by now rather than having to wait until next week to finish."

"Yes, I do Chuck," Ellie insisted, "Until Skip is done with school and able to help you with making the games, and even after, you need to learn to pace yourself. I know you impose some ridiculously short deadlines for your projects, but is it really worth it to have the game done by some arbitrary date and risk your health in the process?"

"Alright, I see your point," Chuck sighed, "I will try to do better about being more cognizant of my own health when I'm working."

"That's all I ask," Ellie nodded, stealing her brother's mug and taking a sip of coffee, "I'll leave you be for now. We'll be heading over there in about a half an hour. If you don't want to caravan with us over, we can text you our location when we get there so you can find us."

"Sounds good, Elle," Chuck nodded, "Do you want me to bring anything?"

"We have food, blankets, towels and such covered," Ellie rambled off a mental checklist in her head, "So really all you need to bring is you… and maybe your guitar, you know how much Clara likes it when you play."

"That goes without saying," Chuck snickered, "We can't disappoint Clara."

"Alright little brother," Ellie gave him a small smile, "We'll see you there."

"Okay, Ellie," Chuck nodded and watched her as she walked across the living room to the landing that sat between the stairs and the front door. She gave him a small wave and exited the apartment.

* * *

"Good morning, Mom," Sarah smiled at her mother as she entered the kitchen, Molly propped on her hip.

"Good morning, Sweetheart," Emma looked up from where she sat at the kitchen table, sipping coffee as she read the paper, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yep," Sarah nodded, as she placed Molly in her highchair before setting about preparing their breakfasts, "Have you already eaten?"

"Had some toast and grapefruit earlier," Emma responded lightly, "Just enjoying a cup of coffee before heading up and getting ready for today."

"Alright," Sarah nodded, popping a few pieces of bread into the toaster before opening the fridge to pull out the containers of blueberries and raspberries she and Molly would have for breakfast. She noticed the Tupperware boxes on the top shelf of the fridge and when she turned to the counter, she noticed a small cooler sitting on the floor by the island counter, "You've been busy already, I see."

"Didn't know how long we would be out, figured it would be a good idea to pack a bit of a picnic to take with us," Emma shrugged nonchalantly as she tipped her mug back and finished her coffee. "I'm going to go get dressed, do you want me to pack a bag for Molly while I'm up there?"

"No, that's okay," Sarah shook her head as she reached for the toast which had just popped up and proceeded to butter it and cut one of the pieces in to triangle pieces for her daughter, "You just get you ready, I can take care of Molly and my things for the day. I already have the impression that you know exactly how you plan to pack the cooler, so I'll leave that to you."

"You know me too well," Emma chuckled, rinsing out her cup and placing it in the top rack of the dishwasher before pressing a kiss to her daughter's cheek and heading out of the kitchen to get dressed for the day.

An hour later, all three Walker girls were ready to go. Emma carried the cooler and her tote bag to her silver 2005 Kia Sorento, opening the back hatch and settling them, along with the diaper bag and totes her daughter handed her, in the trunk while Sarah loaded Molly into her car seat. Once both women slid into the front seats, Emma started up the car and backed out of the driveway.

"We should probably stop at CVS to pick up sunscreen," Sarah advised, "I wasn't able to find any in the bathroom."

Emma simply nodded her understanding and directed the car out of the neighborhood. After a brief stop at the drugstore, for Sarah to grab sunscreen and some bottled drinks for them, they made their way to their destination. Emma quickly laid out a large, tan, Pendleton blanket with a loose blues and red plaid pattern and set up the umbrella before returning to the car to grab the cooler and help Sarah bring over the rest of their bags. By the time she returned, Sarah had already pulled out the shopping bag and was slathering sunscreen on her daughter's fair skin.

Both women watched with amused smiles on their faces as Molly stood, a little unsteady on the shifting sand beneath her feet and walked toward the edge of the blanket where she looked curiously at the sand surrounding her. It was her first time at a beach considering between her mother's university classes and concerts, they hadn't had much time to explore the New England coastline. She looked back at her mother and grandma and pointed to the sand, "Dis?"

"That's sand, Baby Girl," Sarah smiled at her daughter as she got up on her knees and crawled toward the little girl. She picked up a handful of the gritty substance and let it run through her fingers before taking another handful in one hand and gently grasping Molly's hand in her other and letting the warm sand run over and through the girl's hands and fingers. Molly's eyes widened at the texture before kneeling next to her mother, grabbing handfuls of sand and watching it slip through her chubby fingers.

"That will keep her entertained for a while," Emma smiled, lathering on some sunscreen as she watched her daughter introduce her first grandchild to sand. She couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips when she heard Sarah having to tell the two-year-old that sand was 'icky' and not meant for eating.

Sarah and Emma sat watching Molly play with the sand along the edge of their blanket as they enjoyed their day, people watching and reading, while also keeping an eye on the girl.

A shriek caught their attention as they started munching on their lunch of sandwiches, carrot sticks, and fruit. Both women looked up to see a tall, well-built man in his 30's with sandy hair who wore nothing but a pair of dark blue board shorts chase a woman about the same age with dark hair and a girl who looked to be a few years older than Molly through the tidepools and lapping waves along the shoreline. Emma grinned as she watched the man grab hold of the woman and sling her over his shoulder and run into the surf while the little girl giggled and clapped her enjoyment at their game.

Not long after, the small family who had been playing in the low waves made their way to a blanket that had been set up not too far down the beach from where they had set up their space. The woman pulled on a t-shirt over the teal bikini she was wearing and pulled a smaller shirt over the little girl's head, covering the hot pink bathing suit the girl wore. Once they were both covered up, she reached into a grocery bag, pulling out paper plates and plastic utensils. She was just reaching into their cooler when a loud shriek came from the little girl who was suddenly dashing down the beach.

"Uncle Chuck!" The girl cried as she flung herself at a man a few years younger than her parents. The man was as tall if not slightly taller than the girl's father with a trim but fit frame and curly brown hair. The young man grinned as he dropped the bag that was on his shoulder and the soft sided case that had been in his other hand before running a short distance past that point and scooping the girl up in his arms, swinging her up and to the side of his body and tossing her into the air, causing the little girl to squeal in delight.

"Clare-bear!" He grinned at the little girl adoringly as he caught her and brought her safely into his arms as the little girl wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist, causing the t-shirt he wore to rise a little giving those around him a glimpse of his abdominal muscles. "Did you miss me?"

"Yeah, I've been waiting for you to get here _all_ day!" The girl protested.

"I'm sorry I made you wait," The man smiled down at her, warmly, "But your Uncle Morgan called me just as I was heading out the door."

"Did you bring him and Aunti Alex?" The girl looked around eagerly.

"No, but they'll be here later," The man assured her as he put her back down. He ignored the little girl's pout as he walked back to his bag and soft-sided case and picked them up. The moment the girl saw the case, her face lit up, "You brought it!"

"Of course, I brought it," The man gave her a mockingly offended look, "C'mon, it's me."

The girl grinned as he slung the strap of the soft case over his shoulder and reached out his hand to her, "I promise I'll play later, but we should probably go eat before your mom hits home with those daggers she's shooting at me."

"Mommy has daggers?" The girl looked up at the man in wide-eyed awe.

"No, it just means she's giving me 'the look' that means I'm in trouble if I don't do as she wants, which is to bring you back to her so you can eat your lunch," the man explained, "I'm also kinda hungry, so we should probably eat."

"Okay," Clara nodded and skipped along beside her uncle as they made their way to join the rest of their family.

Sarah watched the whole interaction between the girl and the tall man. There was something about him that was so familiar to her, and the smile he had when he looked at his niece nearly melted her from the inside out. It was a good thing she was sitting down or else her knees would have given way. Not even Bryce had caused such a reaction at first sight.

Emma noticed her daughter's reaction to the newly arrived young man, but chose not to say anything, at least not yet. It was clear her daughter was infatuated with the man; she'd never seen her look at anyone else the way she looked at him.

After a meal of cold chicken, potato salad, and cookies for dessert, Chuck decided it was time to enjoy the beach a little. He pulled off the tan firefly t-shirt he wore, leaving him in a pair of black board shorts, not even noticing he had drawn just about as much attention from the women nearby as his brother-in-law did. He gave his sister a small smile and dashed down the beach toward the waves, when he got about waist deep, he dove in, under an incoming wave. The water was bracingly cold but felt good considering the hot afternoon sun. He turned to see his sister chuckling and rolling her eyes at him. He could see Clara pointing toward him and saying something to her mother before they both looked over toward Chuck.

He knew what was coming, a moment later, Clara was free of her t-shirt and was running toward the ocean, kicking up sand behind her as she went. By the time she had reached the surf, he was only a few feet away. Before she had gone far enough for the waves to reach her knees, he'd scooped her up, blowing a raspberry against her neck, causing the girl to giggle. "You're all wet, Uncle Chuck."

"Well, diving in the ocean will do that to you," Chuck grinned, "Do you want to go in?"

Clara nodded vigorously, "Alright, remember to hold your nose," Chuck advised as he waded back into the incoming waves until he was waist deep once more, "Here we go, one, two, three!" He held on to Clara, who clung to him with one arm while the fingers of her other hand held her nose closed, and let himself fall back into the waves, effectively dunking both of them into the cold surf.

When they'd come back up, Clara demanded to go again, through her chattering teeth. Chuck grinned and repeated the count down and fell back again as the waves enveloped them. They played in the ocean a while longer, Chuck trying to teach Clara how to body surf, and then chasing each other through the surf that lapped against the hard packed sand of the shore. He had noticed the pretty blond a ways down the shoreline with the toddler playing in the surf and did his best to steer Clara away from the little girl so that their game of tag wouldn't wind up knocking the younger girl over.

Clara soon tired of their game and they trudged their way back up to where Ellie and Awesome were sitting so that Clara could lie down and rest for a bit. He helped Clara put her t-shirt on and wrapped her up in a large towel. Just as the girl was laying down, she murmured something.

"Hmm?" Chuck leaned closer to his niece as he stroked her light brown hair.

"Guitar, please," Clara repeated, sitting up and looking at him with puppy eyes.

"Sure," Chuck smiled, turning to grab the soft sided case that he'd laid along the side of the blanket. Opening the case, he withdrew the acoustic guitar and laid it across his lap and began strumming softly before he began to sing, 'Imagine' as Clara listened intently. It didn't take long for Clara's attention to turn into drooping eyes and head and eventually lay down, curled up next to her favorite uncle, and drift off to sleep. Once he was sure the girl was asleep, he gently shifted, putting the guitar away in its case and laying back, adjusting the girl until she was laying on his shoulder, snuggled up against him. He never noticed the blond woman, a little girl in her arms, watching with a small smile on her face.

* * *

"_Imagine there's no heaven…_" Sarah turned toward the sound of the man who sat 100 yards away singing as he strummed his guitar. She couldn't help but smile at the image it created, the man with the guitar singing to the little girl who was clearly fighting sleep. She'd caught glimpses of him throughout the day and heard snippets of conversations between him and the family he was with. From the moment she'd first saw him a distant memory began to tug at her mind. Of a teenaged boy on a beach with windswept curls, a guitar, and a velvety warm voice that had never ceased to make her weak in the knees.

When he'd began to sing, drawing not only her attention, but that of her mother and daughter, any doubts of his identity fled. This was the same boy she'd met and fallen for instantly all those years ago, the one who she never had the opportunity to claim was the one who got away. The physical distance between them back then, which would have increased once he'd gone off to college, and the difference in their ages would have made it difficult to have cultivated a relationship back then. It was clear he lived in the area, if the familiarity between himself and the little girl was to be believed along with the references the girl had made about other possible family members who might have easily been able to join them.

Sarah had kept an eye on the family, especially the man and the little girl, but also kept her distance, not wanting to make her presence known just yet. Now, she watched as he put his guitar aside and pulled the little girl into his arms to snuggle as he dozed along with the little girl that she knew now was his niece. The heavy weight in her arms made it clear his song had also lulled her daughter to sleep. She felt the twinge of regret in her heart watching the care he had toward his niece, knowing he would show the same care and love to his own children someday. She only wished that she could go back and make other choices.

She had been seduced by Bruce Anderson, the suave businessman she met her last year of college. It was clear that all Bruce had been interested in was a physical relationship with the naïve coed. He had been her first, and only, when she told him that she was pregnant, he refused to accept the child was his. He disappeared from her life so quick she nearly saw a smoky outline of his body followed by skid marks from the peal out his feet caused. She regretted the relationship, how easily she'd been sucked in, the only thing she didn't regret was that the ill-advised relationship had resulted in the best thing in her life, her baby girl. That, however, did not negate the fact that watching her not-so-forgotten first love, however brief their time together, made her wish that Molly had been his. Of course, if it hadn't been for Molly, she wouldn't have returned to California; never would have seen him again.

She settled Molly down on the blanket, covered in a small blanket to protect her from the light breeze that had blown in over the ocean, and told her mother she was going to take a walk. Emma assured her that she would watch Molly. She thanked her mother, kicked off her sandals and started down toward the shoreline, the wrap she'd tied around her waist fluttering in the breeze and exposing her right leg, over the hip of which the wrap had been tied.

Chuck had been drifting in and out while Clara dozed in his arms, opening his eyes, he caught sight of a woman walking sedately along the shoreline. She wore a black bikini top and a colorful wrap around her waist that moved with every step she took, the breeze catching it at its own whim. She looked like a Disney princess to his eyes, but he knew that was just a fantasy.

He'd seen her throughout the day with a little girl and an older woman, and she seemed familiar to him somehow. Something about the way she moved, the musical laughter that had drifted over the sound of the surf crashing around them when they were both playing around the ocean with their young charges, that nagged at him. Watching her, brought hazy memories back to mind that never fully clarified, almost like a word caught on the tip of your tongue never fully realized or able to be spoken. Nevertheless, he felt drawn to her somehow.

Knowing he wasn't likely to get the answers he was looking for at that moment, he allowed himself to drift off once more, enjoying the rare snuggle time he got with his niece before she got too old to want to snuggle with him as she napped. As he slept, his mind drifted to simpler days, a girl with blond hair and an infectious laugh, a sandy beach and a school auditorium. Not enough time together, attempts to stay in contact that quickly fell apart. He hadn't thought of that time in years, the wisp of a memory more of a dream than an actual recollection when it ever came drifting back to him.


	3. Chapter 3

Sarah returned a half an hour later, a soft sided case in her hand. Her mother simply raised an eyebrow at her in question, "What?" She protested the look, "I have to practice, the season opening is in just over a month."

The look on her mother's face said she wasn't buying what her daughter was trying to sell but wasn't going to say anything either. Emma couldn't help but smile at the defiant look on her daughter's face as the younger woman opened the case and pulled out her practice instrument, quietly checking the tuning, before pulling out her bow and quietly beginning to play a beautiful melody. If her daughter had been much younger, she could imagine her sticking her tongue out at her as she played. The image causing Emma to chuckle as she listened to her daughter play.

* * *

Chuck awoke, stretching slowly so as to not awaken Clara if she was still sleeping. Opening his eyes a slit, he realized that Clara was no longer curled up against his side. He sat up and looked out over the beach to see his sister, brother-in-law, and niece chasing each other through the surf as they laughed. He smiled at them and waved when they waved to him, before standing, picking up his guitar case and ambling over to a bench that sat along the jogging path.

He laid his case on the ground in front of and just to the right of where he sat and pulled out his guitar. He played for a while, alternating between current pop tunes, older favorites, and a melody he had come up with that he always had thought of as 'her song.' Every once in a while, a passerby would stop, listen for a moment, then drop a few coins or bills in his case before continuing on. He didn't know how long he'd played but just as he'd finished a tune and was about to start another, he sensed someone sit beside him.

He saw toes that had been painted a bright red in a pair of black thong sandals, a long leg sticking out from beneath a wrap, and a glimpse of skin between the wrap and a black top. That was all the further he'd gotten when he heard the first notes of 'Dueling Banjos,' but played on a violin. Without stopping to think, he immediately played the response, the violinist played the next set, and he followed, they went back and forth a couple more times before he got the courage to turn toward his new partner in musical crime.

The deep blue eyes that met his nearly took his breath away. The smile on his face grew as he saw the mischievous grin on the young woman's face.

"Jenny?" He gasped, recognizing the woman who had haunted his hazy memories and dreams for the past 10 years. He couldn't believe he'd found her again after losing her all those years ago.

"Hi Charlie," She smiled warmly at him, "It's good to see you again."

Chuck sat in awestruck wonder as he took all of her in. Her once short, frizzy, dirty blonde, hair was now longer, long enough that it fell in rich golden waves past her shoulders from the ponytail she had bound it back in. Her eyes were still the ever shifting, mesmerizing, blue that his memory was bringing into sharp relief. Her face was a little thinner, her lips were still the same shade of kissable dusky rose they had been when they were younger, her smile revealed the perfectly straight teeth thanks to the braces she'd once worn.

Her body had filled out a little since they'd last met, but in the most pleasant of ways. She had been slim back then, but her body had softened a bit as her curves filled in. Chuck tried not to stare at the swell of her breasts beneath her halter bikini top. The ripple of her abs could be seen just faintly beneath the skin of her torso where it dipped below the tie of her wrap. He'd noticed earlier that her hips had also gotten a little fuller. He assumed many of the changes he'd noticed had to do with the little girl he'd seen her playing with along the beach. It was the same types of changes anyone who had known his sister, before and after she'd had Clara, had seen occur nearly five years before.

"You look, wow," Chuck stammered, "You are more beautiful than I remembered."

"You don't look half bad, yourself, Charlie," She grinned at him, an appreciative glance taking him in from his sexily rumpled curls, to the bit of stubble he sported on his cheeks. His shoulders were broader and even with his shirt on, she could see the muscle definition along his arms, chest, and stomach. The combination of playing in the sun just an hour or so before combined with the humidity of the ocean air causing the fabric of his shirt to cling to him. His legs were likewise muscular, like that of a swimmer or a runner, and on his feet were his ever-present Chucks. "I'd say you grew up quite nicely."

"Thank you," Chuck blushed at the compliment, "But you should know, folks around here call me Chuck."

"I go by Sarah now," She gave a small shrug, "Long story, I'll tell you later."

"Okay," Chuck nodded, "So you wanna try again for old time's sake?"

"I'd love to," She smiled up at him, "Shall I start?"

"It's all you, Baby," Chuck gave her a flirty smile as she lifted the violin and bow up and began to play an upbeat tempo which caused Chuck to throw his head back and let out a laugh.

"Alright, this is how you want to play it?" He teased her, only to get a flirtatious wink back, "Fine, we'll play it your way. _Devil went down to Cali, he was looking for a soul to steal…_"

By the time their version of 'Devil Went Down to Georgia' had finished, a small crowd had gathered in front of them. So that they could be seen by everyone there, they stood, Chuck assisted Sarah as she stepped up on the bench before following her up. He could see his sister and brother-in-law along with Clara, who was sitting on her father's shoulders, staring in amazement over the heads of the others gathered there as Sarah played the first verse of 'Hallelujah,' as a prelude. Just as before, Chuck joined in and began singing from the top, which drew even more on lookers.

To his left, he saw an older woman, a blond toddler held in her arms approach and point towards Sarah. The toddler grinned and clapped, which caused Sarah to smile. Chuck knew this had to be Sarah's mother and daughter. As they had done all those years ago on the beach in San Diego, they both dropped out while Chuck sang the last verse and chorus acapella.

The crowd broke into cheers and applause as they took each other's hand and bowed to the audience who had accumulated. While he still held her hand, Chuck jumped down from the bench and assisted her down from her perch. He kissed her hand and waited until she was nearly all the way back to her mother and daughter before hopping back up on the bench and playing the opening lines to 'Your Song.'

He saw her eyes widen and a blush rise up from her chest to color her cheeks as she listened to him sing. His eyes never left hers as he continued to sing directly to her as if they were the only two people on the beach. When he got to the section regarding her eyes, he belted the line out, causing the crowd to cheer their applause. As he drew closer to the end, he noticed she had begun to migrate back toward him, her violin long since having been passed to her mother. He stepped down from the bench and walked toward her, singing the last verse, by the time he got to the ending lines, he'd pushed his guitar around on the strap so the body of his instrument lay against his back. He took both her hands in his as he sang, "_I hope you don't mind; I hope you don't mind, that I put down in words. How wonderful life is, now you're in the world…_" The crowd went wild as he dipped his head to capture her lips, unaware of the clicking of camera phones or the shocked look on their families' faces.

* * *

"You're insane, you know that, right?" Sarah laughed as she watched Chuck collect the money that had accumulated in his case and put his guitar away.

"I've heard rumors," He shrugged, sipping the case closed and looping the strap over his shoulder. When the crowd had started to dissipate, realizing the impromptu show was over, Sarah's mom had handed Molly to her and let her know she was going to put the violin away. Molly now sat propped on Sarah's hip as she walked alongside Chuck. "But it was worth it, I figured if we part ways again, this way you won't forget me."

"Chuck," Sarah paused, grabbing his hand to turn him back toward her, "I never forgot you. I'm sorry we lost touch, shortly after we parted ways, a series of unfortunate events occurred that resulted in me losing your contact information."

"Sarah," Chuck sighed, "It's okay, I can understand if you moved on, which you clearly did," He motioned toward the little girl in her arms. "I tried to, too, but it didn't exactly work out as well for me."

"Didn't work out so well for me either," Sarah gave him a sad smile, "I'd like to explain it all to you, if you want to hear it."

"I'd like that," Chuck gave her a small smile, "I'd actually like that a lot. Why don't we make a date of it?" He suggested, "Tomorrow night, maybe?"

"Tomorrow night won't work," Sarah shook her head, "I have to work early on Monday." When she saw the sad look on Chuck's face, she amended the statement, "But I'm available for lunch."

The smile on his face could have lit up the beach if the sun wasn't still shining down on them, "I can do lunch. If you give me your address, I can pick you up say around 12:30?"

"Do you have your cellphone with you?" She inquired.

"I think it's on my blanket," He cast his eyes about looking toward where he thought the blanket had been, but it was now just a blank space. He kept looking until he heard Sarah laughing. "What?"

"Um," She pointed to where her blanket was set up, another blanket and umbrella had been moved next to it. A group of three adults, an older woman and a young couple, accompanied by a five-year-old girl with sandy blond hair stood waving at them from their joint set up.

"Oh boy," Chuck groaned, "I see Ellie and Awesome found your mom."

"Or my mom found them and invited them over," Sarah chuckled, shaking her head, "She's been trying to set me up since I moved back to LA. My last relationship was kind of a disaster." When Chuck gave her a curious look, she continued, "It's kind of an extension of the long story."

Chuck nodded in understanding, "Alright, so the way I see it, we have two options, we can cut and run, or we can walk over there and endure whatever torture they've devised for us in the past 15 minutes."

"Well, we're kinda living with my mom right now," Sarah gave a small shrug, "So at some point I have to go back to change my clothes."

"I kinda like what you're wearing right now," Chuck grinned, letting his eyes sweep over her from head to toes and up again.

"Be that as it may," She rolled her eyes at his antics, "at some point it's gonna get a little chilly to be running around in nothing but a bathing suit, wrap, and sandals."

"Point taken," Chuck nodded, "So, suck it up and get on with it?"

"I think that's the only way through," Sarah agreed, squeezing his right hand in her left.

"Let's do this," Chuck nodded, a determined look on his face. Sarah couldn't help but laugh at him as they made their way toward their families to endure the next round of 20,000 questions and, more importantly, exchange contact info in preparation for their date the next day.

As it turned out, Emma already knew Ellie and Devon from the hospital where they all worked. Emma had met both of them as they had been called into the pediatric ward where she worked to consult on a few of her patients. As Chuck and Sarah later found out, before their beach trip, Emma and Ellie had already been scheming up a way to introduce them, much to Devon's protest. Thankfully, for them, their randomly mutual beach trips had removed any preconceived plans, allowing Chuck and Sarah to meet, or actually, reconnect naturally.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mom!" Emma rushed upstairs at the panicked sound of her daughter's voice. Entering Sarah's room, she found it in shambles. Nearly all the drawers in her dresser had been pulled out and at least partially emptied, and it looked like half the contents of the closet had been laid out on the full-sized bed that her daughter hadn't yet bothered to make that morning.

"Oh my," Emma tried to hold back the surprised laugh that bubbled up within her, "What on Earth happened here?"

"I have nothing to wear," Sarah complained.

"I think the complete lack of floor or bed space speaks to the contrary, Sweetheart," Emma gave her daughter a soft smile.

"It's not funny, Mom," Sarah pouted, "I don't know what to wear for my date with Chuck."

"So that's what all this is about," Emma nodded knowingly, "What did you wear the first time you met him?"

"I don't know, Mom," Sarah huffed, "It was so long ago, probably jeans or a skirt and a t-shirt since we met at Coronado Beach? But I'm not a teenager anymore, I can't get away with that anymore. I'm a grown woman, with a daughter... what if he doesn't want to be with me because I had another man's child? Have I ruined my chances with one of the last good men...?"

"Sarah, sweetheart, you're spiraling," Emma reached for her daughter's hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze, "You need to take a breath before you start hyperventilating. I know you are nervous about seeing him again after so long apart. But I doubt he is planning anything too fancy for a lunch date, casual dress, I'm sure, will be fine." Emma cast her eyes around the room before spotting a good option, she released her grip on her daughter's hands, "Here, this should work," She handed her daughter a pale blue summer dress with pastel flowers on it and a grey sweater, "You can wear your brown flats or even those cute sandals you just got."

Sarah looked at the clothes her mother had laid out on her dresser for her, she had to admit it was a good outfit. The pale blue complimented her eyes well, or at least that's what the lady at the boutique had said when she had tried it on, and the dress was nice enough for a date, but still fairly casual. Her mom was right, it was the perfect outfit for her date.

"Now as to the other nonsense about him not wanting to be with you because you had a baby with some idiot who didn't know a good thing when he had it," Emma took her daughter's face in her hand, lifting it so that their eyes met, "He knew, or at least had an inkling that, you had a daughter when he asked you out; I doubt Molly was any kind of deterrent. From what his sister has told me, and after seeing you two together yesterday, I doubt that it made any difference to him. He's a good man, Sarah. My advice to you, Baby, is to just relax and see where the day takes you."

"Okay," Sarah slowly nodded.

"Now, go, take a shower, get dressed," Emma instructed, "I'll deal with the fallout of Hurricane Sarah."

"Okay," Sarah nodded, pulling some underwear and a bra out of one of the open drawers before collecting the outfit her mother had picked out, "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, Sweetie, now get," Emma nodded, a smile on her face as she watched her daughter make her way down the hall to the bathroom.

* * *

"Chuck?" He heard Ellie call from downstairs and quietly cursed the moment he gave her his spare keys. It was meant for emergencies, but not hearing from him in 24 hours often constituted an emergency for his older sister. "Are you up there?"

"Elle, I'm kinda busy at the moment," He called before turning back to the mirror he was using as he shaved so as to not accidentally nick himself. Thankfully, he was rinsing his razor when the bathroom door swung open, revealing his sister with her hand over her eyes causing him to roll his own. "You can uncover your eyes, I'm decent."

Ellie slowly uncovered her eyes one finger at a time to see her brother standing by the sink, a partial foam beard on his face, a towel around his bare shoulders, wearing a pair of nice jeans, and bare feet. "I hope you plan to put on a shirt before you go meet your violinist." She smirked at him.

"Yes, Ellie, I have a shirt picked out, it's in my room," Chuck shook his head exasperatedly and turned back to finish shaving.

"Which one?" She pressed.

"The green button-down," He informed her, running the blade down his cheek before rinsing it in the sink and repeating the process a few more times until his face was finally clean. He turned on the taps, ignoring his sister's evaluating stare, and rinsed his face off before patting it dry with the towel around his shoulders and making sure to wipe away any remaining shaving cream with the towel before tossing it in the hamper by the door.

"You need a haircut," Ellie pointed out, "Your hair is starting to make funny animal shapes again."

"My hair is fine, Ellie," Chuck huffed, he hated having this same conversation every couple months. Yes, his hair was on the longer side, and true, he could use a bit of a trim soon, but it didn't look that bad. He threw on a brown shirt with 'I aim to misbehave' written across the chest before pulling on his button-down shirt.

Ellie rolled her eyes at his choice of t-shirt but smiled when he started buttoning up the top shirt. He rolled up the sleeves to just below his elbows and took a few steps over to his dresser to grab socks before putting them and his typical black chucks on. Once his laces were tied, he stood and smiled at his sister. "So, do I pass inspection?"

"Do you have time for a haircut?" She challenged.

"No, I do not," Chuck shook his head.

"Then you are as good as you can get while still being a bit scruffy looking." She sighed.

"Who are you calling scruffy lookin'?" Chuck gave her a teasing smirk, which caused his sister to roll her eyes at him.

"You're such a dufus," Ellie groaned, "Go pick up your date, weirdo."

"On my way," Chuck grabbed his watch, securing it to his wrist before grabbing his wallet and keys from where they sat on his dresser and heading down the stairs, calling back to his sister to have her lock up on her way out.

* * *

The drive to Sarah's house, or rather the house she lived in with her mother, hadn't been very long. As it turned out, their home was only a few miles away from Chuck's condo, and a 10-minute drive, which meant that he was pulling into their driveway in little more than a blink of an eye. Chuck sat, looking up at the two-story white house with the red door and white picket fence for a moment before taking a deep breath, he grabbed an item from the passenger seat, and opening the door to unfold his tall body from his seat. He locked and armed the car before climbing the stairs to the front porch upon which sat a wicker love seat and chair. He wondered for a moment if that was Jenny's, or rather, Sarah's choice or if it was her mother's. He took one last calming breath and raised his hand to knock on the door.

He only had to wait a moment for the door to be opened. Chuck didn't know if he was surprised or disappointed that it was Emma, Molly on her hip answering the door rather than Sarah.

"Good Afternoon, Mrs. Walker," Chuck greeted her politely, "Is Sarah ready?"

Emma smiled softly at the young man standing before her, a bouquet of what looked to be gardenias gently grasped in his hands as if it was taking most of his mental faculties to avoid crushing the delicate blooms. She gave half a thought to giving him a hard time, but between watching him and his niece playing, his mini performance with her daughter, and the time their families spent together the previous afternoon, she knew him to be a nice boy, sensible, respectful, and an all-around good guy. She also couldn't deny how happy his mere presence caused her daughter to be. She shifted Molly to her left side so she could extend her right hand, which he took and shook firmly.

"Chuck, I told you yesterday," She gave him a small smile, "You may call me Emma. Mrs. Walker was my mother."

"Very well, Emma, then," Chuck smiled warmly at her before turning his gaze to the little girl in her arms, "And good day to you, Miss Molly."

To Emma's surprise, Molly, her shy, cautious, quiet granddaughter let out a happy shriek and practically threw herself into Chuck's arms. Thankfully the man had quick reflexes and caught the girl before she took a full tumble out of her grandmother's arms.

"Nice catch," She complimented the young man who was still standing on her porch, only now with an 18-month-old in his arms.

"My brother-in-law's frat buddies have pulled me into more than a few games of football over the years," He shrugged, "I also grew up in little league, and then there's Clara…"

Emma could tell that was all the explanation she was going to get on the matter and invited Chuck in. She told him to make himself comfortable in the living room while she went up to check on Sarah. When she returned, she stopped on the bottom step, out of the line of sight, and watched Chuck and Molly interact. She smiled softly at the adoring look the toddler was sending Chuck's way, and from the look on his face, the adoration was mutual.

"What are you looking at?" She heard her daughter approach.

"Shh," She hushed her daughter and pointed toward the living room. What Sarah saw there just about melted her. The ease at which Molly had accepted Chuck into her life was remarkable as she had always been really shy and standoffish with strange men, not that there was any reason for her to be. However, she took to Chuck almost instantly, she had seen little glimpses of it at the beach the day before, the flirty eyes and smiles the little girl kept sending Chuck's way. Although, if she were honest, Molly probably was initially copying her own behaviors toward the attractive software developer.

It was at that moment, that Chuck happened to look over his shoulder and caught the Walker women watching him. His smile broadened, and he stood, moving Molly to rest on his left hip as if it was the most natural thing in the world to him, while his right hand picked up the small bouquet of gardenias he'd brought with him. She saw his eyes drift down, and then back up her body, taking in her choice of clothing before his eyes returned to hers.

"Wow, you look amazing," He grinned, "I brought these for you." He held out the flowers.

"Thank you," Sarah smiled back, taking the last few steps from the stairs and crossing the room to where he stood, "And thank you, gardenias are my favorite flower."

"Nice, got it in one!" His grin grew larger, if that was even possible. "Are you ready to go?"

"Let me put these in a vase first," Sarah turned an went toward the kitchen where she pulled a vase from under the sink and filled it with water before popping the flowers into the container and turning back to Chuck with a grin, "Let's go!"

Chuck handed Molly back to Emma and offered his arm to Sarah, who kissed her daughter's and mother's cheeks before linking her arm through his while she looped the strap of her purse over her free shoulder. As they stepped onto the driveway, Sarah pulled up short, "Oh my God, is that your car?"

Chuck's silver 2005 Aston Martin DB9 sat with the black soft top retracted and nestled behind the seats, "Um, yeah," He shrugged shyly, "My first project did really well, and Ellie insisted I splurge a bit on myself."

"It's quite the splurge," Sarah spoke softly as Chuck shrugged. A soft smile spread on her face as he opened the door for her and waited for her to settle into the seat before closing the door after her.

Once he had rounded the car and gotten behind the wheel, he returned her small smile, "Well, she may have found out that I'd paid off a chunk of hers and Devon's student loans before making her suggestion."

"Most people would start with their own loans, maybe buy a house…" Sarah raised an eyebrow at him as he pulled out of the driveway and headed down the street.

"Don't have need of a house, at least not yet," Chuck shrugged. "It's just me and I'd already moved into my own place by then. Granted it's in the same complex as my sister, but it's my own separate condo."

"So instead you decided to drive around like James Bond?" Sarah gave him a teasing look.

"Ellie picked it out," He chuckled, "Said that the Matrix and CR-V I was looking at didn't look like vehicles that a successful software developer would drive, and then proceeded to call the Prius a douche-mobile."

Sarah couldn't help but laugh at the statement. "I can't see you driving a Matrix, they are so small, I can't imagine you having to fold yourself into one, same goes for the Prius. I think the CR-V would have been a good choice for you. Simple, unassuming, just like you. But going from that to this is like going from a Cessna to a F-22 in one move."

"Speaking of," Chuck grinned as he merged onto the highway to find it nearly empty. He used the pedal shifts on the steering wheel as he accelerated down the stretch of road, throwing them back in their seats. "It's a kick in the pants, ain't it?" He laughed before reducing his speed and taking the next exit.

"You are crazy, you know that?" Sarah shook her head in amusement as Chuck gave her a cheeky grin and turned onto a surface street. A moment later, he was pulling into the parking lot of a shopping center.

He navigated the car into a parking spot and walked around to open the door for Sarah, who accepted his assistance out of the car, as her legs were still a bit shaky from their near sonic speed down the highway. When she was finally steady on her feet, Chuck closed the door and armed the car, offering his arm to her as he led her through the lot toward some of the smaller store fronts. She gave him a curious look when she saw where he was taking her.

"Lou's Deli?" She inquired.

"They have the best selection of meats and cheeses I've ever tasted," Chuck insisted, "And it tends to be quiet on Sunday afternoons. I used to sit in one of the booths and work when I was first starting out, Lou didn't mind too much so long as I ate something new every time and gave my honest opinion on the sandwich."

"So, is Lou a friend of yours?" Sarah inquired as Chuck opened the door and guided her in, his hand on her lower back. He had only just opened his mouth to respond when a voice rang out through the small establishment.

"Charles Irving Bartowski!" Their eyes snapped up to see a petite brunette woman standing, hands on her hips, an eyebrow raised in challenge, "You have some nerve coming in here after vanishing without a trace."

Sarah looked up at Chuck in curiosity, wondering who this woman was and why she was so upset with Chuck vanishing on her. What perplexed her even further was the smirk on Chuck's face and the amused twinkle in his eye as he feigned humility. "I'm so sorry," Chuck raised his free hand in surrender, "But in my defense, I finally got an office to work in rather than taking up one of your tables."

"And when did I ever say I minded you 'taking up one of my tables?'" The woman's brow arched higher into her hairline, if that was even possible. "I lost my best taste tester when you left, without a word. Do you have any idea how many times your taste buds saved my ass?"

"I'm sorry Lou," Chuck placated, although the look on his face did not look apologetic at all, "How about we make it up to you? You can make myself and my lovely companion here two of your newer creations and we will give you our opinions. Sound fair?"

"Fine," Lou huffed, rolling her eyes, "Go take a seat, I'll bring you out a couple to try."

"You're a saint, Lou Pallone," Chuck teased as he led Sarah over to a booth and waited for her to sit before taking his seat as well.

"So that's Lou?" Sarah asked, still trying to rectify the petite woman with the image of a large guy in a stained apron she'd had in her head the first time Chuck had mentioned Lou.

"That's Lou," Chuck confirmed, "We've known each other for a while now. She was a couple grades behind me in high school, and we ran in different crowds, so we didn't really meet until a few years later. I was working in the Nerd Herd at the Buy More over the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college when her blackberry broke, she brought it into the Nerd Herd to see if we could fix it."

"He really saved my ass," Lou added, setting down plates and two bottles of water in front of them, "I would have lost all my recipes if he hadn't been able to fix it."

"Heard from your Nana lately?" Chuck smirked.

"Yes," She smiled, "Said she's making a blanket for the little one, insisted she's still up to it, arthritis be damned. Although, whether or not it will be ready in time is still yet to be seen. The turkey is just about done."

"I noticed. You look like you're about ready to pop," Chuck grinned at the deli owner who placed her left hand over her protruding stomach, wedding and engagement rings winking in the midday light streaming through the nearby window. "How is George doing?"

"He's good," Lou nodded, "His best friend Lavon is coming up from Bluebell so he's happier than a pig in slop."

Chuck snickered at the turn of phrase, "I see George is rubbing off on you in more ways than one."

"Shut up!" Lou lightly smacked Chuck's shoulder, "Now are you going to keep teasing me, or are you going to introduce me?"

"Of course, Lou, please meet Sarah Walker," Chuck gestured to his date, "Sarah, I'd like you to meet Lou Pallone."

"It's actually Lou Tucker now, and he well knows it." Lou corrected as she held out a hand to Sarah, who firmly shook it. "It's nice to meet you Sarah, it's been a while since Chuck has brought any one here… actually, come to think, the last time was about five years ago in college. What was her name? Jezebel?"

"Jill," Chuck corrected flatly, "And I'd rather not discuss her, if you don't mind."

"If you won't, then I will," Lou stated defiantly, "Long story short, she strung him along for a few years in college and just when he was getting ready to propose, she jumped into bed with his alleged best friend and roommate."

"Wait," Sarah's eyes went wide, "So you're telling me that his best friend slept with his almost fiancée?"

"Yep," Lou nodded, "Frat kicked him out, excommunicated him and everything."

"Oh my God," Sarah's eyes narrowed, "If I ever find Morgan…"

She was caught off guard by Chuck, who had taken a sip of his water, did a spit take and coughed. "No!" He quickly corrected, "Not Morgan, he stayed here when I was at Stanford. She's talking about my best friend from college, Bryce."

"Even his name sounds douchey," Lou rolled her eyes, "If he ever shows his face around here. He's gonna find himself in a world of pain."

"Lou, how about we change the subject," Chuck suggested, "What have you brought us?"

"Alright, I'll humor you," Lou rolled her eyes, letting the prior topic of conversation drop, "I haven't found a name for these just yet, but this one is turkey and muenster, grilled on egg bread." She motioned to the first plate that had a sandwich that had already been divided in two before gesturing to the other plate with a hot sandwich also cut in half, "The other is end cut pastrami with coleslaw and muenster on seedless rye, grilled ruben style. Give 'em a try and let me know what you think."

"Will do," Chuck agreed.

"It was nice to meet you Sarah," Lou smiled at the woman who clearly had eyes only for Chuck.

"It was nice to meet you too," Sarah grinned, "I appreciate the food, and the background information."

"It's no problem, just make sure you guys come back," Lou nodded, "I wasn't kidding when I said he was my best taste testing guinea pig."

"If these are any bit as good as Chuck made them out to be, we'll be back," Sarah promised. Lou gave her a small smile and turned to waddle back behind the counter where she joined the rest of her crew in making sandwiches for their newly arrived customers.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, enjoying both of Lou's newest creations before Chuck spoke again, "So, how did Jenny become Sarah?

Sarah sighed, taking a long drink from her water, "It's all a part of the long story I promised you." When Chuck stayed silent, waiting patiently for her to continue, she gave him a small smile and launched into the explanation. "I don't think I ever told you what my father did for a living when we first met."

"You mentioned he traveled a lot, which meant you moved quite often," Chuck supplied.

"What I didn't mention was that every move was basically us escaping," Sarah shook her head sadly, "My father was a con man, so every time a con went south we wound up leaving in the middle of the night with whomever he swindled, the cops, often both, hot on our heels. With every new city came a new name.

"When we met, my father was in the middle of a long con that had started that previous year. A couple months after the competition, my father's past deeds finally caught up with him. Not only were the feds after him, but he had cheated some pretty bad men out of a lot of money." She sighed, "My father was able to convince the feds that I had nothing to do with his current cons. Truth be told, when I first went with him, I did participate, but I didn't really know what I was doing until later. When I figured it out, I refused to join in on his cons. The feds were able to track down my mom and put both of us under witness protection and changed our names to Sarah and Emma Walker in case the bad guys wanted to come after me. I moved back in with my mom who was living in Pasadena at the time, finished high school, and went onto college."

"Where did you go to school?" Chuck inquired, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Columbia," Sarah blushed, "I got a full ride music scholarship."

"Impressive," He grinned, "I knew you were good enough to get out from the middle of the section. Did you like it there?"

"The winters were brutal, but it opened up opportunities for me," Sarah shrugged, "If I hadn't gone there, I wouldn't have been invited to solo in the opening concert for the Phil next month."

"The Phil?" Chuck's eyebrows shot up, "Wow, that's a real honor."

"It is," She agreed, "But I still haven't quit my day job assistant directing an orchestra at Burbank High School."

"What a small world," He chuckled, "You work with Mrs. Tucker? She was the associate director of my high school's band!"

"I knew she looked familiar," Sarah shook her head. "Anyway, I also wouldn't have had Molly if I hadn't gone to Columbia. My senior year, I met this guy who swept me off my feet, suave, handsome, but ultimately shallow. When I found out I was pregnant, I told him. The next day, he just vanished."

"'Vanished?'" Chuck quirked an eyebrow at her, "As in he stopped taking your calls?"

"More than that," Sarah sighed, "Not only was he not taking or returning my calls, but I went by his apartment and it was completely empty as if everything had been taken out overnight. All that was left was bare walls and plain wood floors."

"So, you never had the chance to figure out what he wanted to do?" Chuck inquired softly.

"I think his vanishing act more than defines his interest in being in his daughter's life," Sarah shook her head disdainfully, "You would think an investment banker would be a good bet to settle down with."

"I don't want to overstep my bounds here, and please let me know if I am," Chuck reached out and took her hand in his own, "But, if you want, I can try to track him down. For no other reason than to sever his paternal rights so that, if you were to meet the right guy, he could adopt Molly."

"You would do that?" Sarah tilted her head to the side, a soft smile on her lips.

"Of course," Chuck confirmed, "Not a lot of people know this, but I was a fairly elite hacker in my day. I'm sure I could dust off the old bottle of Rombauer and track him down."

"What does wine have to do with…" Sarah cut herself off, "Never mind, that's not important. I meant you would adopt Molly?"

Chuck's eyes widened as he stared at Sarah in shock, "I… wha… uh… you want…" He continued to stammer a moment before clearing his throat, "It's a little soon to be deciding on that right now, wouldn't you think?" He asked nervously, causing Sarah to deflate a little.

"Maybe," She shrugged slightly, "But I think the fact you were never far from my mind over the past 10 years is proof enough of how important you are to me. I'm not asking you to marry me now or anytime in the future."

"But you are asking me to make a similarly life-long commitment to your daughter?" Chuck inquired, intrigued by her proposition. "Sarah, might I make a suggestion?"

"I guess," She shrugged slightly.

"How about I help you track down Molly's father first," Chuck gave her a small smile, "Then we can figure out the other stuff. Just so you know, I see you and Molly as a package deal, you can't get one without the other." He lifted his eyes to meet hers, "So, for me, it wouldn't be an either/or thing, it would be an all-or-nothing kind of deal for me and I won't accept anything less."

Chuck's intensity both excited and unnerved her, she was quiet a moment more before smiling up at him, "Thank you. Do you really think you can track him down?"

"Even when trying to stay off the radar, there is always some kind of digital trail to a person," Chuck explained sagely, "Unless you're Amish, but even they have their rumspringa…"

Sarah couldn't help but laugh at him and roll her eyes. "You're ridiculous."

"No, I'm Chuck, I know we've met before," He smirked and gave her an abbreviated eyebrow dance.

"Well at least we know you have the lame jokes down," She chuckled, "So what all would you need to find him?"

"As much information as you have," Chuck explained, "The more information I have the better trace I can set up. So, full name, if you know it, last known residence, phone number, email address; does he have any family still alive and if so, where do they live and what are their names?"

Sarah nodded as Chuck continued to list items that would allow him to set a firm foundation for his research into the location of Molly's biological father. When he paused and looked at her expectantly, she realized he was waiting for what little information she had.

"His name was Bruce Anderson," She sighed in resignation, "When I knew him, he lived in some high-end apartment in Manhattan, The Dorchester, I think. His email was just his name at . His phone was disconnected a day or so after I found his gutted apartment, but it is still pretty easy to remember (212)555-5212. I think he was an only child, parents were never mentioned, don't know if that meant they were dead or just not in contact… I wish I could give you more, but I really didn't know him very well. I know you, as you are today, better than I ever knew him. I know that sounds awful to say about the man who fathered my child, but it doesn't negate the fact that it is just that."

"Alright," Chuck nodded, taking note of the information she had given him, "I'll see what I can do."

"I appreciate it," Sarah gave him a soft smile, "Even if you can't find anything. I didn't put his name on the birth certificate, but I just don't want any issues if anyone were to come into Molly and my life and want to make it a permanent type deal."

"I get it," Chuck gave her a small smile, "If he severs his rights, that's one less thing for you to worry about."

"Exactly!" Sarah nodded, "Anyway enough of that. What do you like doing when you aren't creating video games?"

"I wish I could say it's something cool like base jumping or rock climbing," Chuck shrugged, "But I leave all that kind of stuff up to my brother-in-law. Honestly, in the rare moments when I'm not creating video games, I'm playing them, usually with Morgan. However, if things go my way that might be changing a little."

"Oh really?" She teased, "How so?"

"Well, I met, or rather, re-met this amazing woman on the beach," He smirked coyly, "Not the same beach where I had met her the first time, but on a beach, nonetheless. She's still as funny, smart, kind, not to mention just as amazingly beautiful as she was the first time I met her. We kinda lost touch over the years, and she has this amazingly adorable little girl now, but I think I'm gonna enjoy spending time with them, getting to know them and her again. That's assuming, she's interested in spending more time with me."

"Well, if you ask me, she'd have to be a complete idiot to not want to spend more time with you," Sarah grinned up at him, "If she were me, she would love to get to know you better too. Get to know you as you are now, and what has changed or is the same as when you were in high school."

"I'd like that," Chuck smiled warmly at her, reaching out and taking her hand in his, giving it a light squeeze.

"I'd like that too," Sarah nodded, reflecting his smile back to him.

"Oh, for the love of…" They heard Lou huff from behind the counter, "Just kiss already!"

"I think we should do as she says," Chuck snickered.

"I think so too," She agreed standing slightly and leaning over the table to meet Chuck, who was doing the same. The moment their lips met, she felt the same sensation she did the first time. Peace with a bit of reverence, love, passion, and for the first time, the overwhelming knowledge that she was home. When they'd finally separated, she cleared her throat, "Well, at least that hasn't changed much."

"No, it hasn't," He agreed, "Do you want to get out of here? Away from the peanut gallery?"

"I would love to," Sarah nodded, taking his offered hand and following him out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Chuck stretched his arms over his head with a large yawn before twisting in his chair to release the tension that had built up in his lower back; groaning with pleasure as he heard and felt the popping in his lower spine. It had been three weeks since he had started on his journey to locate Sarah's ex. At first, it was part time as he wrapped up the last of his work on the game he'd been working on, but once that was completed, he dove head-first into the search. Whatever time wasn't spent at work, with his family, or Sarah, was spent trying to track down Bruce Anderson.

The first thing he found out was that Bruce Anderson, or at least the iteration that Sarah knew, did not exist, nor did the shell company that paid for the apartment she had mentioned. The phone number was to a burner that had long been inactive and had been purchased in cash at a bodega that had been a few blocks from the apartment building that 'Bruce' had inhabited for the brief duration of his fling with Sarah.

After exhausting all vaguely legal avenues of locating the man, Chuck had resorted to the dark web, back channels, and hacking to gain more information. Slowly but surely, he had managed to break down the holes in the back story of the man who had introduced himself into Sarah's life as Bruce Anderson. The shell company led to more shell companies, until finally those shell companies led back to Washington, the CIA to be exact. Once he'd found that out, it had slowed his process down. Knowing that, if he stayed too long in the governmental servers, he was bound to be noticed. This meant he had to limit himself to brief 15-minute forays into the covert agency's systems.

He was close to attaining his goal, but knew he had to be careful. He would have to deep-dive into the CIA's systems, to avoid being tracked, he'd have to relay his signal through multiple ports, sometimes more than few times to keep the techs from locating him with any kind of relative ease. However, before setting up the complicated net of relays that would be required for this deep dive, he needed to be able to concentrate, wake up a little, and for that he desperately needed coffee.

Walking out of his in-home office and into his small kitchen, he smelled the coffee he hadn't remembered putting on. "You look like hell," The voice made him jump.

"Ellie!" He sighed with a slight growl in his voice, "What are you doing here, you startled me."

"We were out of coffee," She shrugged, "So I figured I'd come over and co-op some of yours."

"Ellie, that key was for emergencies only," He groused, shuffling into the kitchen and retrieving a mug from the cupboard and poured himself a cup of the strong coffee his sister had brewed before doctoring it to his liking, ignoring the fact she was staring at him the whole time.

"Okay, spill," Ellie demanded, "What is going on with you? You look like you haven't slept for days, and I know the game has been finished for a while now. What is keeping you up this time?"

"Sarah," Chuck murmured, sitting at the table and quietly sipping his coffee.

"Okay… didn't need to know that," Ellie grimaced a little.

"Oh my God, not like that," He protested, "Not that I wouldn't want to… but it wasn't that, we're not there yet. I offered to help her find her ex, Molly's father."

"Oh, Chuck," Ellie slipped into the seat beside him and placed her hand over his, squeezing it sympathetically. "I thought you guys were doing okay."

"What are you talking about?" Chuck challenged, arching an eyebrow at his older sister, "We're doing fine. On our first date she just happened to mention that if she were ever to meet someone who wanted to be with her for the long haul…"

"You," Ellie interjected.

"…It might be helpful if she could get her ex to officially relinquish his parental rights," Chuck explained.

"…So that you could adopt Molly." Ellie finished for him.

"I didn't say that," Chuck protested.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Ellie chuckled at his affronted face, "Charles Irving, you have been in love with that girl since you were 18 years old, nearly 10 years apart has done nothing to diminish that fact. A lot of men would run the other way when they realize the love of their life had a child with another man. You, on the other hand, chose to play cyber sleuth to locate said other man, I take it that's why you have dark circles under your eyes and look like you stuck your finger in an electrical socket."

"You got me there, sis," Chuck gave a half-shrug, "I thought it would be a fairly easy thing to do, track down some guy who ghosted on her two years ago. It didn't take long to figure out that was so very far from what really happened."

"So, what really happened?" Ellie tilted her head to the side, watching her brother's face as he explained about what he had, or rather hadn't, found. He then explained how he'd had to resurrect his hacker persona to get more information, and where that had led.

"You're telling me that this Bruce guy, or whatever his name is, is involved with the CIA?" Ellie's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline.

"Yeah," Chuck nodded, "I very nearly have him identified, the next step will be to locate where he is. But first I have to set up some secure server relays to bounce my signal through so that they can't find me while I hack their servers. It will take me a while to locate the information I need and can get in and out before they can find where I really am."

"Chuck, you know I don't like you doing this," Ellie advised, "What if you're caught?"

"Then I guess you'll be getting your Christmas card from whatever black site they drop me into," Chuck shrugged non-chalantly.

"That's not funny," Ellie gave him an unimpressed look.

"It wasn't a joke," Chuck shook his head. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a nap and get back to work to locate Sarah's ex."

"This discussion is not over, Charles Irving," Ellie called after her brother as he climbed the stairs to his bedroom.

The alert on his computer went off, summoning him back to his computer. He slid on the glasses he had worn since the day he surrendered himself to the fact he wasn't as young as he used to be. Typing in the password and going through the security protocols to access the system of his own design, he quickly pulled up the source of the alert. "Oh boy," He sighed, the kid was at it again, he didn't know how long he could shield him from the attention of the covert agencies. The apple most certainly did not fall far from the tree.

He'd already had to convince the kid's professor at Stanford to obscure his test scores on the subliminal image mid-term which was actually a test on image retention in disguise. If the man hadn't been a good friend, the attempt would have been wasted. Not to mention if the NSA knew how many times the kid had accessed not only the CIA servers, but theirs as well, he would be conscripted so fast his head would spin. He had to admit the kid was good, even without his help, it would be hard for the clandestine agencies to know he had been in their servers at all. Even if they did know how easily he had breached their security protocols, it would have taken them years to find where the hack originated from as, when he was accessing government systems, the kid routed his signal through at least two dozen other servers around the world. However, since he knew the originating source, he only ever watched that terminal.

"Charles what are you up to?" The man grumbled under his breath as he observed how skillfully the kid cut through the digital red tape in order to ferret out the information he was looking for. The man's eyes widened as the kid's search of a cover name revealed the actual name beneath. "Oh boy, this is not going to end well."

"Seriously?" Chuck huffed disgustedly as he quickly copied the information he was looking for and backed out of the server, his mission accomplished. The name that everything had traced back to was the last name on earth he ever wanted to see or hear... Bryce Freaking Larkin! Of course, it had to be his nemesis at the root of all the issues that popped up in his life.

He knew it wasn't true, but it just seemed like the man's name kept popping up, unwanted, in his love life since the day he found Bryce and Jill together in his bed. His brief moment of self-pity passed instantaneously, allowing him to focus on the next step, telling Sarah... about everything.

He would figure out where Bryce was in the morning, but for now, he needed sleep... well maybe a couple fingers of scotch first, but then definitely, sleep.

Chuck had just come downstairs and poured himself a cup of coffee when he heard an alert from his computer indicating he had an incoming message. Furrowing his brow in curiosity, he made his way to his office and took a seat in his plush desk chair. He typed in the passcodes to access his system and pulled up the message. He was surprised to find it was a live video call, only the video of the originator was nothing but a vague shadow caused by scrolling alphanumeric code.

"Good morning Piranha," A digitized voice came over the speakers, surprising Chuck, who at least had the good sense to not show it on his face.

"Piranha?" He inquired, trying to keep his upper body still as he typed in the activation codes to start a trace on the call, "I don't know who you are trying to contact, but this is a private residence, I don't sell fish here. Perhaps you should try the pet shop in Huntington Beach, I think they have a large selection of exotic fish."

"I would think you would give more respect and thanks to the person protecting you from the nation's intelligence agencies," The digital voice countered.

"Why would I need such protection?" Chuck challenged, "I'm a private citizen living a normal life, nothing that would cause any such organization to take any particular interest in me, unless they were interested in having me develop a security protocol for them. Then again, wouldn't they have their own programmers on retainer for such a thing?"

"I wouldn't be so arrogant, if I were you," The voice reprimanded him, "They don't know because I disguised your digital signature, although I must applaud you for the security measures. If they knew you were trying to track down your college roommate, the NSA and CIA especially would be in contention over who would arrest and sequester you first."

"And how would you know?" Chuck raised an eyebrow.

"Because I've been keeping an eye on you since the first time you popped up on their radar," The voice explained, "I have shielded you, discredited you, so that they would lose interest in the highly skilled hacker Piranha. Or should I say burgeoning software mogul, Charles Irving Bartowski?"

Chuck turned white and couldn't hide his shock, "Who… Who the hell are you?!" He demanded.

"The powers that be know me only by my code name, Orion," The digital voice said, but the vague undertones of the real speaker's voice could be softly heard, "I should be honored you remembered the name," The digital shadow and scrolling code began to fade along with the digital voice, slowly revealing the face of a real person as his voice became clearer, "But you know me better as 'Dad.'"

"Dad?" Chuck gasped, gob smacked, "What the hell is going on? How… why… where…"

"One thing at a time, Son," Stephen J. Bartowski gave his son a soft smile, "I don't know how long I can secure this line and we have much to talk about. Can you meet me? I have a place, off the grid, I can send you the location. However, you must leave your phone, pager, smart watch, anything digital behind. I promise, everything will be explained."

"I…" Chuck stammered, "I have so much to ask you, where have you been, why did you leave…"

"All will be explained when you get here," Stephen insisted, "Can you come?"

Knowing he had informed Morgan that he would be working from home that day and the next, he nodded, "Yeah, I'll meet you."

"Good," Stephen nodded, posting a series of directions on the screen that slowly scrolled until it gave the address of the final location, trusting that his son's eidetic memory would capture everything. He was one of the few people who knew that this was the skill behind all of Chuck's academic and professional success, the man's mind was a steel trap, and why he was able to retain so much information in Fleming's class to the point where he was very nearly forcibly recruited to the CIA his sophomore year. "I will see you when you arrive. I do have one stipulation, stop trying to track Bryce Larkin's whereabouts."

"Why?" Chuck inquired, confused, "I am trying to track him down for an important reason."

"I know why you are trying to find him," Stephen gave him a small smile, "I would have done the same thing if your mother had a child before meeting me and needed to find it's father. It's a commendable thing you are trying to do, Charles, and I will help you by giving you a method to contact him when you get here. But you must stay out of the CIA servers, it's for your own safety and freedom, please trust me on that."

"Fine, I will stay out of their servers," Chuck agreed, "Let me go get dressed and I'll meet you there."

"I look forward to seeing you soon," Stephen nodded and disconnected the call, leaving Chuck staring at a blank screen.

It only took Chuck a moment to get up and dash up the stairs to his room. After a quick shower, shave, and brushing his teeth to rid them of the scuzz and smell remaining from his several fingers of scotch the night before, he quickly got dressed. He pulled on a grey t-shirt with an image of an Atari joystick and 'Classically Trained' printed on the front. A blue and navy striped button-down shirt went over top, sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows. He finished off the look with dark wash jeans and his favorite pair of black chucks. He exchanged his smart watch for an analog watch that had been a gift from Ellie and Awesome when he graduated from Stanford with his master's degree. Grabbing his wallet and his keys, he headed back down the stairs and hopped in his Aston Martin. Accessing the control panel in the car, he entered a few commands, effectively disabling the GPS on the vehicle. Backing out of his parking space, he turned down the road, on his way to see his father in person for the first time in nearly 15 years.


	6. Chapter 6

The drive through Angeles National Forrest didn't take more than a couple hours. that his father had been living so close had been both a surprise and a disappointment to Chuck as he pulled off the road and onto a lesser known dirt lane that led, ironically past Hermit Falls, to the cabin in which the man who had abandoned him years ago was to meet him. The area was beautiful, peaceful, he had to give his father that, but to be so close but not reach out to his children, Chuck couldn't fathom why a person would want to do that.

Just off the dirt lane was a gravel path that led up to where the cabin was. The thick copse of trees that lined the gravel path quickly hid the car from view. He pulled his car up beside a dirty jeep and turned off the ignition. He sat for a moment contemplating if he really wanted to knock on the cabin's door or if he should just start up the car and drive away. It only took a moment for Chuck to realize that driving away without even setting eyes on his father would make him no better than the older man. With a sigh, he opened the door and unfolded himself from the interior. Closing the car door behind him, he stretched, his lower back popping, sending relief up and down his spine, leading him to arch his neck first left than right to release the extra tension that had settled in his neck and shoulders. His adjustments done, he walked around the car and up the steps that led to the cabin's small porch which held a rustic chair and table.

The moment of truth was upon him. He raised his hand to knock, but just as his hand was about to connect to the door, it swung open revealing the long-missing Stephen J. Bartowski. The man before him looked older, as one does after a decade and a half, his formerly brown hair now bore streaks of grey throughout it, his laugh lines were slightly more creased than they had been, but his eyes were still the same intelligent eyes that Chuck himself saw in the mirror every day. Chuck had heard growing up that he took after his father in many ways, from his looks to his intelligence and curious nature, but it never really hit him how true the statement was until he saw his father standing before him. At least he now knew what he would look like when he hit his mid to late 50's.

"Charles!" The older man smiled up at him, the look on his face making it clear he didn't realize the son he remembered might have grown taller than him as the younger man now stood nearly a full head taller than his father. "You made it, come on in, take a seat anywhere. Would you like something to drink? I've got coffee, beer, soda…"

"I'm fine, Dad," Chuck assured him, taking a seat on the well-worn dull cream and yellow floral couch which looked to be a relic from a 1970's home décor magazine. Stephen returned, two bottles of beer in his hand. Handing one to his son, he took a seat in a nearby chair which was decorated in the same upholstery as the couch. It was clear neither man knew how to start as they proceeded to sit in awkward silence, staring at each other.

"I sure did miss that face," Stephen sighed, breaking the silence.

"Well, it didn't take me long to get here," Chuck pointed out, "Clearly you are close enough you could have come back for a visit."

"No, I couldn't," Stephen shook his head sadly, "For your safety and the safety of your sister, I had to stay away."

"What possible danger could you have been in?" Chuck challenged, "You were a professor, an inventor, and apparently, if yesterday's show of digital prowess is any indication, a very skilled hacker."

"I'm a little more than that," Stephen admitted, "Charles, there is a great many things you don't know about me, your mom, what was once the family business that we worked so hard to shield you from."

"What does Mom have to do with this?" Chuck's curiosity was piqued. "And how does that relate to the reason you summoned me to some cabin in the middle of nowhere?"

"All in good time, Son," Stephen admonished him, "I will answer all of your questions if you just let me speak."

"Fine," Chuck rolled his eyes and sat back on the couch, nursing the beer in his hand, it was only early afternoon, a little early for him to be drinking, but he had a feeling he would be here for a while, and the beer tasted good after the hot, dry trip through the forest. "Speak away."

"Thank you," Stephen nodded, "As you mentioned, I was a professor, a lecturer, first at my alma matter, MIT before I started teaching at UCLA. Your mother's bosses were able to create a position for me there when they transferred her out to the LA office."

"What do you mean they created a position for you?" Chuck inquired, a searching gaze trying to discern more from his father's facial expressions.

"Well, by that point, I was kinda working for them as an agency contractor," Stephen continued, not acknowledging his son's question, "You see your mother had originally been my handler, but one thing led to another and then Ellie came along. Normally, such relationships are verboten between handlers and assets, but once we found out about Ellie and eloped, there was not much more they could do. They upgraded my position, first to analyst, then company scientist. What had originally gotten their attention was my thesis project for my doctorate. I theorized that information could be transmitted to, and subsequently stored in, the human brain by using pictures encoded with information not noticeable to the naked eye.

"At first, they just wanted to see if it was doable, and after several years, they wanted proof that we were able to move past theoretical to implementation," Stephen explained, "A friend of mine, Hartley, volunteered to be a test subject. Your mother and I both tried to talk him out of it, we didn't feel it was ready, but he insisted, and we were coming up against our deadline to show results or lose funding. I reluctantly gave in and designed a small data packet for him. The original use we were asked to look into was to see if we could implant a personality matrix into the programming, so that agents were less likely to break character and risk operational security. It was only supposed to be temporary, I had built a kill switch of sorts into it, but it failed to deactivate the programming."

"What happened to your friend?" Chuck asked, concerned for his father's friend turned human lab rat.

"To this day, he believes he is the person who was in the personality matrix, it's been nearly 20 years, and my friend who was once a soft spoken, kind, genteel man, is now one of the most ruthless and feared men in the world." Stephen sighed, "Your mother was meant to be his handler until the programming disengaged. When it didn't, we tried a few more ways of switching it off, for lack of a better term, but nothing worked. By this time, Hartley's other persona had taken a… liking… to your mother. Since your mother and I were the only ones who really knew anything about the program, and as I was the programmer, it was decided by the powers that be that your mother would stay with him as his secret handler until the day we can figure out a way to turn off or remove the programming. I didn't want her to go, but of the two of us, I was more valuable to them as I was the programmer. To them agents like your mom were and are expendable." Stephen couldn't keep the disdain for his employers out of his voice.

"What do you mean agents like my mom?" Chuck pressed, "You keep using these phrases like I'm supposed to know what they mean, 'asset,' 'handler,' 'agent,' 'company scientist,' and the like. What company did you work for?" Chuck paused a moment when realization hit him, "Wait, did you, do you, work for some intelligence agency like the CIA, FBI, or NSA?"

"You forgot MI5," Stephen pointed out, "Hartley was MI5, your mom and I were CIA. Your mother had been recruited out of Yale, me out of MIT, Hartley was an Oxford man, himself."

"Mom was a spy?!" Chuck nearly leapt from his seat, "Is that what you're telling me?"

"Technically speaking, she still is," Stephen shrugged slightly, "Very deep undercover, I cannot tell you where for your own safety, but she has not set foot on US soil for at least 14 years."

"Wait, 20 years ago… 14 years ago…" Chuck murmured to himself a moment before looking over to his father, "This project of yours is why you both left, isn't it?"

"Yes," Stephen nodded, "It's why your mother seemingly vanished without a trace. She would always leave behind her personal items, when she would go, and I knew what she wanted done with them. It's why I gave you her charm bracelet when you turned 13, and why Eleanor has her pearl jewelry and is holding on to her wedding set for the day you find the right girl. The only thing she ever took with her was that silver necklace you and Eleanor gave her for Mother's Day a couple years before all this happened. The chain is long enough for her to hide under her clothes, on the same chain is the plain silver ring I bought her in Vegas when we eloped. The set your sister has is the one I bought after you were born, and we'd renewed our vows."

"So, you've explained why Mom had to leave," Chuck reminded his father, "But why did you have to go too?"

"Alexi, the personality we implanted in Hartley, grew very jealous of me as he had fallen in love with your mother," Stephen explained, "He ordered me killed so that he would be free to pursue your mother. The day I promised you and your sister pancakes in celebration of her high SAT scores, and then never returned, your mother contacted me. I had a pager that was only for her, she sent the alert code that indicated that a hit had been put out on me. There was a separate one for if you and Eleanor were also in danger, thankfully, Alexi either didn't remember or didn't know we had children, so you were safe. To make matters worse, Alexi had sent your mother, herself to kill me, thinking that she was in love with him too and would do anything for him. Instead, she killed her team and told Alexi that I had a CIA team monitoring me that foiled the assassination attempt, she then helped me to get off grid. Luckily, we had contingency plans for what we would do in any given situation. This included setting up accounts to help pay for Eleanor's and your college education, which should have come to you in the form of Pell grant type programs or scholarships. We knew your sister had access to our bank account, I knew she was balancing the budget while I tinkered away at my projects, and I let her, so that I would know she would take care of things if the need ever were to arise. The annuities you and your sister started receiving when you turned 18 from a distant relative was also part of the plan to help take care of you. Also, when your sister sold the house and moved you into the apartment complex in Van Nuys, we made sure that a few agency contacts also moved in around the same time."

"Who?" Chuck's curiosity got the better of him.

"Mr. Lewis, for one," Stephen admitted, "When his wife passed, he moved to California to be closer to his daughter and son-in-law, Virginia and Warren. He was actually the station chief at the LA CIA office. A while after you left for Stanford, his daughter and her family moved back to New York, and he took the opportunity to move back to DC and teach at the Farm under his agency persona."

"Who else?"

"Mr. Calavicci and his wife," Stephen admitted, "The Taskers, and the Turners."

"That actually makes sense," Chuck scoffed, "They were the ones who always helped pay for my band tours and uniforms in high school. When Mr. Lewis found out I had to wear a tux for concert competition, he took me to a tailor to have my tux altered, said that a man is not truly a man until he owns a well-fitting tux, a good suit, and can make a perfect martini. I think I still have the white dinner jacket he gave me when I graduated high school, something about it being a good tool in attracting the opposite sex… I don't know."

Stephen couldn't help but chuckle at that, "Back at the Farm, that's known as the Montgomery; white dinner jacket, bottle of Chateau Margaux, and a red rose. I can't believe he's still pushing that."

"Well, apparently, he is." Chuck shrugged, "But we've gotten off track. While knowing a little more about why you and mom had to leave is all good to know, that's not the reason I came all the way out here. You said that you could help me locate Bryce Larkin."

"Yes, I was able to find his universal contact number," Stephen nodded, "Hopefully, he will do the right thing."

"Well, he doesn't really have a history of that," Chuck sighed, "At least him sleeping with my girlfriend saved me from following through with the worst decision of my life. I really wish he hadn't met Sarah, but at the same time I don't, because then we wouldn't have Molly…"

"Life's a real kick in the pants sometimes, isn't it?" Stephen shook his head, a sad smile on his face, "I ought to know." He got up and retrieved a slip of paper from a desk in the corner that bore some legal pads, a cup of pens and pencils and a picture of their family before he and Mary both left. Returning, he handed the paper to his son. "Well, good luck in getting Bryce to do the right thing, and I hope that someday, if I'm able to, I can see you and Eleanor again. I want to meet this husband of hers, do they have any kids?"

"Yes, a five-year-old girl, name Clara." Chuck gave a small smile, "They've recently been talking about doing Doctors Without Borders, they've wanted to do it since med school but then they had Clara. They're now trying to figure out if they can bring her along. If they had to leave her behind in order to join, I don't think they would go."

"Doctors Without Borders is a wonderful program, and I can understand their hesitancy about leaving their daughter behind," Stephen nodded, "Although if it was only a short time away, I'm sure you would step up to take care of Clara. Maybe that girlfriend of yours can lend a hand."

"I wouldn't mind doing that," Chuck agreed, "But after what we went through with mom and you leaving us as you did, I doubt Ellie would be willing to part with Clara in order to participate."

"I also hope to meet your family someday." Stephen pointed out, "I assume that you needing to find Bryce is a means to that end?"

"Something like that," Chuck admitted, standing as he noticed the waning light outside. The visit had taken longer than he'd anticipated, "I should get going."

"Yeah, that's probably for the best, before it gets too dark to see," Stephen nodded, rising and reaching out his hand to his son. When Chuck took it, his father used it as leverage to pull him in for a hug. "You know I love you, Son, don't you? I wouldn't have left if I'd had any other choice. The same goes for your mother."

"I know, Dad," Chuck nodded, pulling back and patting his father on his shoulder. "I love you too. I hope we can see each other again someday, hopefully not in another 14 years."

"I guess we'll have to see," Stephen agreed, walking his son to the door, "Drive safe."

"I will," Chuck gave his dad a small smile, "Goodbye, Dad."

"Goodbye, Charles," Stephen watched as his son walked to his car and started it up. He kept watch as his son's car slowly made its way back down the gravel path toward the dirt lane that would eventually connect him with the narrow roadway that served the national park. He stayed standing on his porch until the red taillights of his son's car could no longer be seen. "Good luck, Son," He whispered softly into the night air, "I hope you get everything you are wanting."


	7. Chapter 7

It was dark by the time Chuck arrived back at his apartment, and the low lights glowing in the courtyard gave the area an ethereal, contemplative feeling. Instead of going to his front door, he pulled a chair over from his sister's patio set over to the fountain and sat, feet propped up on the fountain ledge, staring at the water flowing down the multiple tiers of the water feature. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved the slip of paper his father had handed him. He already had the phone number memorized but needed something to do with his fingers as he turned the folded piece of paper over and over in his hands, as he thought over everything his father told him. He wasn't sure if knowing the reason behind the departures made his parents' disappearances better or worse or if he was going to tell Ellie about meeting with their father after being so long apart.

'_One issue at a time_,' He thought to himself, '_Helping Sarah, and Molly, is the more pressing issue now. The real question is, should I tell her first or try to reach Bryce first to see if the contact info that dad gave me is still good…'_

"You look deep in thought," He heard a voice from behind him, accompanied by the sound of a metal chair lightly dragging along the flagstone of the courtyard. Looking to his right, he saw his sister, still in her scrubs from her shift, pulling up the other chair beside him and adopting the same pose as himself, leaned back in the chair, feet on the edge of the fountain, looking up at the water bubbling out of the top, pooling, then trickling down from one reservoir to the next. "What's on your mind, little brother?"

"Have you ever had a time where helping someone you care about winds up dragging up something from your past you'd rather not revisit?" Chuck cast a look over to his sister.

"Outside of the times I took it upon myself to take care of you because Mom and Dad were not available?" She countered, "Not really, but I struggle sometimes when I have to treat a kid whose parents don't seem to care or want to be involved in their child's treatment. What's going on?"

"So, you know that I have been working on helping Sarah find her ex, and that it led to the CIA?" Chuck started, Ellie simply nodded for him to continue, "Well I found him, or at least his most recent contact number."

"Okay, I follow you so far," Ellie nodded, "Are you worried about reaching out? That he'll figure out how you got his contact information?"

"No, well yes," Chuck sighed, "But no, not for the reason you are thinking. It turns out I know her ex, and he knows about my hacking ability, has even protected the Piranha on a few occasions."

"Oh God, please tell me it's not…" Ellie started.

"Her ex is Bryce Larkin," He gave his sister a pained look, "Apparently, he is not an accountant, but a spy with one of our country's top covert agencies. I don't know why he gave her a fake name aside from guessing he was undercover at the time as his apartment on the Upper West Side was being paid for by a shadow company that is a front for the CIA."

"Does Sarah know?" Ellie inquired.

"That one of the people who made my last year at Stanford a living Hell is the same man who fathered her child?" Chuck raised an eyebrow, "No, I only just found out, I don't know how I'm going to tell her… about everything. My history with him, the CIA, everything."

"In my experience, being completely transparent is best," Ellie advised, "Take her through the steps, how you traced the information she gave you and where it led. If she doesn't know you were, or are, a hacker, you might want to let her know. Tell her that you found his contact information and that you knew him in college. Do you know that the contact info you found is still good?"

"It's as reliable as you can get in such a situation," Chuck gave a small shrug, "But I haven't tried calling it yet, if that's what you're getting at. This is Sarah's thing, I'm just the source of information right now, I think it's best if she makes the first attempt at contact."

"Probably a good idea," Ellie nodded, patting her brother's knee as she stood, "Well, I say just be as honest as you can be and see what she wants to do. I'm going to head inside, I've had a long day and I'm exhausted, and that was before your little crisis. Put that chair back when you're done, if it's still here come morning, I have a key and know where you sleep."

"Message received, Sis," Chuck snickered, "Thank you for being my sounding board."

"Any time," Ellie gave him a small smile, "I love you."

"Love you too, Elle," Chuck returned her smile and watched as she picked up her chair and carried it back to its place beside the small table in the alcove by her front door. "Good night."

"Good night, Chuck," Ellie gave him one last supportive smile before heading into her own apartment.

Chuck had awoken the next day, still not completely sure how he was going to explain everything to Sarah, but secure in the advice that Ellie had given him the night before. When he called Sarah to inform her that he had found the information they had been looking for, she invited him to join her for lunch as none of her students had scheduled mentoring during her lunch and prep period. Getting the time off wasn't difficult for him, as there were no meetings at the office and the game was currently in post-production, leaving it firmly in the marketing, accounting, and distribution departments hands. Confirming the time, he offered to pick up lunch from Lou's, which was on the way to the school. Sarah gladly accepted and told him that she was looking forward to seeing him that afternoon.

The morning had been slow for Chuck, mostly reviewing reports from the various departments within the company and giving some direction to those who needed it. He also spent some time drafting up new ideas for software and games as well as reviewed previous ideas to try to figure out which to pursue next, not wanting to rest on the laurels of his company's past achievements. He set up a meeting with the department heads to toss around ideas for future projects and narrowed his list of suggestions down to a first-person shooter, an educational game, and an updated form of their security software.

By the time lunch rolled around, he was more or less done with the tasks he had laid out for himself for the day, which meant he had the option of not returning to the office that afternoon, if Sarah needed him a little longer than just for lunch. When his watch's alarm alerted him to the fact it was time to go, he grabbed his keys, wallet, and phone, sliding the latter two into their designated pockets in his pants, and headed out the door. A brief stop at Morgan's desk ensured the whole office would know shortly that Chuck would be out of the office, potentially for the remainder of the day.

The drive to Lou's was relatively short, and she had his order waiting for him on the back counter for pick up when he walked in. She handed him the bags and drink carrier along with an envelope addressed to Sarah, informing him that she wanted to invite Sarah to her baby shower to get to know her better. He nodded his understanding and gave Lou a friendly kiss on the cheek before heading out once more and toward the high school.

The check-in process didn't take too long when he arrived at the front office. The secretary, a woman in her mid-40's, made quick work of checking his ID and having him sign in before handing him a visitors pass and directions toward the performance arts building which housed classrooms for the band and choir as well as the school's off-off Broadway sized theatre. As Chuck made his way down the outdoor corridor toward the building, he noticed a few students give him a double take, almost as if the recognized him. Figuring they were probably gamers who had read an article about Orion Games, he shrugged off their reactions and continued on to Sarah's classroom.

Arriving at the door, he could hear the second period band students rehearsing, Mrs. Tucker on a small square platform, arms and baton waiving gracefully through the air as she led her students in the piece they were playing. He saw Sarah standing behind and off to the side of the band's director, organizing some paperwork on a nearby table. When Chuck saw Mrs. Tucker bring the band to a stop, he quietly tapped on the window of the door, catching Sarah's attention and giving her a small waive.

Sarah gave him a smile and walked over to the door, the eyes of a few of the students following her as she let the tall, curly haired, man into the room. Mrs. Tucker likewise noticed her distracted pupils and turned to see what had caught their attention, "Charles Bartowski, you better have a really good note from your sister for being nearly a decade late for class." She demanded, hands on her hips, a stern look broken by the grin on her face.

"I am so sorry, Mrs. Tucker," Chuck grinned back at the older woman, "I seemed to have misplaced my flute. I still can't find it, erm, Peaches must have eaten it."

"Don't you lie to be, Mr. Bartowski," She crossed her arms, "You know I know that fool dog ain't around anymore."

"Oh, right," Chuck feigned embarrassment, "Um, I mean aliens, that's right, aliens must have abducted it… and Morgan right along with it. I mean it was weird, there was this glowy light then _zoom_ they were both gone and on top of it, I woke up 10 years later, and in a whole different part of the valley! Can you believe that?"

Sarah was standing beside her boyfriend trying not to laugh at his antics as Mrs. Tucker rolled her eyes, "That has got to be one of the worst excuses I've ever heard, but as I can no longer issue you detention, I will allow it." She then turned to her students, who she had heard whispering behind her back, "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to Charles Bartowski. He was one of my students, and one of the best first chair flutes I've ever seen come up in my bands."

"Miss Walker?" A young girl raised her hand from the French horn section, catching the younger teacher's attention, "Isn't he the guy you played with at the beach last month?"

Sarah gave the student a confused look, "I'm not sure I understand the question, Bridget."

"You know, the video," The girl tried to explain, seeing the still puzzled look on her assistant director's face as well as the man who'd just come into the room, "On YouTube…"

"Do you have any idea what she's talking about?" Chuck whispered, having sidled up to Sarah.

"Not a clue," She whispered back.

A flute player who happened to be sitting nearby them rolled his eyes and pulled his smart phone out of the side pocket of his book bag, quickly pulling up the video and handing the device to them. At first the video was a little shaky as whomever had taped it had tried to make their way through the crowd while a guitar and violin duet could be heard. "I mean that is you, isn't it, Miss Walker?" The student asks pointing to the blonde violinist who was standing on a park bench in beach wear.

Sarah and Chuck nodded mutely as they watched the video, Sarah swaying along with the melody she played on her violin as Chuck played his guitar and sang through 'Hallelujah.' After watching the clip a moment longer, Chuck stopped the video and handed the phone back to the young man to whom it belonged.

"I didn't realize anyone had filmed that," Chuck murmured in Sarah's ear.

"Mr. Bartowski," Mrs. Tucker lifted her eyebrow, "Just as when you were a student of mine, there are no secrets here.

"I was just saying I didn't realize that anyone had taped us," Chuck shrugged.

"How could you with your face fused to Miss Walkers?" A student from the brass section chuckled.

"Mr. Epps, you just got yourself polishing duty," Mrs. Tucker turned to the young man in the back row.

"Perhaps we should take this into the office," Sarah suggested.

"Probably a good idea," Chuck agreed before turning back toward Mrs. Tucker, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause such a disruption. Miss Walker and I just had a few things to discuss over lunch and I was a tad bit early."

"Well seeing as we only have a few minutes left of class, it wasn't a bad time to interrupt," Mrs. Tucker shrugged, "So long as one of those sandwiches in that bag are for me."

"Of course," Chuck nodded, a wry grin on his face, "Last thing I need is the wrath of Big Mike coming down on me for not making sure you got a good sandwich, especially since I brought one for your lovely assistant director."

Gladys Tucker just rolled her eyes, "Miss Walker knows where my desk is, just leave it there and get about your business."

A young woman holding a clarinet hesitantly raised her hand from the center of the first row, when the director gave her a nod she spoke, "Well seeing as we only have a few minutes left of class, would it be too much to ask for a small performance?"

Chuck and Sarah shared a look before Chuck spoke, "I don't carry my guitar with me everywhere."

"There's one in the back," Sarah suggested, "Assuming Mrs. Tucker doesn't mind."

"You might as well," The older woman rolled her eyes with a defeated shrug, "There ain't nothing else I can accomplish today with the time we have left."

Sarah gave a small nod and quickly ducked into one of the practice rooms, returning with her violin in one hand and an acoustic guitar in the other. She handed the latter to Chuck, who quickly threw the strap over his shoulder and checked the tuning of the instrument. Once he gave Sarah a nod indicating he was satisfied, Sarah turned to him and whispered, "Follow my lead."

Mrs. Tucker stepped down from the director's stand and indicated for the pair to stand front and center. Sarah and Chuck stepped forward into place as Sarah raised her violin to her chin as she began to play Libertango as she had nearly a decade before. Chuck smiled at the memory and joined her, improvising the guitar part as he had their first time playing together, much to the fascination of the students. As they played, some students sat transfixed at how they worked with and off each other playing with the harmony and melody as they went, while others listened casually as they quietly packed up their instruments and sheet music.

The timing couldn't have been more perfect as the bell began to ring as the last notes of the piece rang out through the room. The students clapped for the performance and quickly left the room to get to their next classes or lunch breaks. Chuck lifted the strap over his head and handed the guitar back to Sarah who quickly put the instruments away in the practice room.

"That was some very fine playing, Charles," Gladys complimented him with a warm smile, "You compliment Sarah well… in more ways than one I suspect."

"Thank you, Mrs. Tucker," Chuck blushed.

"Please call me Gladys," The older woman corrected, "The students are gone and you're an adult now, I think it's okay for you to use my first name."

"Alright," Chuck nodded, "Then could you please call me Chuck? Charles is so formal and that is not me at all."

"Okay, Chuck," Gladys smiled before walking over to the table where the bag of sandwiches had been set before the impromptu performance and pulling out the wrapper with her name on it, "You're a good boy, my Michael has always said you are. You be good to our girl here."

"I will, I promise," Chuck nodded, before turning to the hall where he saw Sarah standing, a small smile on her face, "I would never dream of not being anything but good to her."

Gladys nodded her approval, momentarily placed a gentle hand of support on Sarah's arm, and walked past the younger woman and into her office, closing the door behind her to give the younger adults their time together.

"So, where do you want to do this?" Chuck asked.

Sarah arched an amused eyebrow at him for a moment, causing him to blush at the unintentional innuendo, before a smile spread across her face. "We can use one of the practice spaces, one of them has a large table we can eat at as we talk."

"Sounds good," Chuck nodded, grabbing their lunch and their drinks and following after her.

The room Sarah led him to contained a few music stands of varying quality and a stack of chairs along one of the side walls and a 6 ft by 4 ft table along the far wall. While Sarah put the loose sheet music that had been scattered across the table into the correct folders then stacked them on a corner of the table, Chuck set their food and drinks down and collected two chairs from the stack and carried them over to the newly cleared table.

Once they'd settled in their seats, he quickly doled out their food. He sat a half of a turkey and muenster sandwich they'd tried on their first date and a small side salad in front of her along with a bottle of water, her favorite meal from Lou's. When he pulled out his sandwich, he noticed she arched an eyebrow at the pastrami and sauerkraut sandwich he'd ordered for himself. "Don't worry, I brought breath mints, just in case" He assured her, "I know better than to kiss you after eating this beast, I was just craving a good pastrami on seedless rye."

Sarah simply nodded, opening her salad and the packet of raspberry vinaigrette that came with it, drizzling it over the vegetables and taking a bite. "So, what did you find out?"

Chuck paused, chewing his bite of sandwich a moment longer and taking a swig of his water. "Getting right into it, huh?" He sighed, "I thought we'd eat first then talk about it."

"I only have 45 minutes for lunch, Sweetie," Sarah reminded him spearing another bite of her salad, "Might as well multi-task."

"Okay," Chuck nodded, "Well, as you know, I have been looking for Bruce for the past few weeks." When Sarah nodded her acknowledgement, he continued, "I found out very quickly that Bruce Anderson is not a real person, that name is an alias. After quite a bit of tracking, I found out that the alias was actually a cover for a man by the name of Bryce Larkin."

Sarah furrowed her brow at the look on Chuck's face, "I take it there's more to him than just using a false identity while he was in New York."

"Yep," Chuck sighed, "Sarah, Bryce works for the CIA as a field operative, he's a spy. Furthermore, I don't think he was running away from you after you told him about Molly, or at least it may not have been the only reason he disappeared. Around the time Molly was conceived, Bryce was reassigned to an operation that took him overseas, although it wouldn't surprise me if he saw being able to escape his responsibilities as a benefit of his new assignment."

"You seem pretty confident in that," Sarah searched his face, chewing slowly as she processed his words.

"I am," Chuck admitted, "I know, or at least knew, Bryce pretty well. Remember the guy I told you about, the roommate and best friend who slept with the woman I was going to propose to?"

Sarah gasped, "No…"

"Yeah, Bryce freaking Larkin," Chuck huffed, "He has a way of involving himself in my life and gumming up the works. Not that I'm complaining about this particular intrusion, I mean it led to you coming back into my life, not to mention the creation of one of the most adorable little girls I know. Although, I do have to admit I'm a little biased, having feelings for her mother and all."

"Yeah, she's pretty great," Sarah nodded, a smile on her face, "I hear her mother ain't half bad, either."

"Are you kidding? Her mother is one of the most fascinating and wonderful women I've ever met," Chuck beamed down at her, "I would venture to say that I may just be falling for her in a permanent kind of way."

"I hope so," Sarah giggled, "Because I hear she has no intention of ever letting you go. I know for a fact she fell for you long ago, and never truly recovered. Some would even say she loves you."

"That's good to hear, because I love you too," Chuck admitted. The pair reveled in the moment a bit longer before Chuck got back to the reason for his visit. "In any event, I was able to track down Bryce's contact information. I have to admit, I had some help, I was caught by another hacker accessing the CIA servers and he offered to help me. Turns out this hacker is a former, or perhaps a distanced disgruntled, employee. He said that he is confident that the number is still good."

Chuck dug in his pocket and pulled out the slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. "Ball's in your court now," He spoke softly as she stared at the piece of paper in her hands, "I can't and won't tell you what to do. You can call him, or not, you did say that his name isn't listed on Molly's birth certificate. Technically, you don't need his permission for anything from a legal standpoint; at least not according to my frat brother who is currently practicing family law."

Sarah nodded her understanding before folding the paper and putting it in the pocket of her slacks. She placed her hands over his and looked up into his warm eyes, "Thank you," She spoke softly, "For everything you did and do for me. I can't express how much it means to me that you would risk yourself like you did to help me find him."

"It was nothing," Chuck blushed humbly, "I would do anything for my girls." His eyes then sparkled in mischief, "Besides, there's no power in the 'verse who can stop the Piranha."

"You are such a nerd!" Sarah rolled her eyes and laughed at him.

"I'm your nerd," He smiled at her.

"That you are," She grinned up at him, "You might want to grab one of your mints."

"Why?" Chuck did his eyebrow dance.

"'Cause I'm gonna kiss you," She smirked.

Chuck quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a tin of altoids, popping one in his mouth and crunching down on it, all without breaking eye contact with his girlfriend who, as soon as he'd swallowed, grabbed his face and pressed a kiss to his lips. As she pulled back, she nipped at his lips, causing him to growl low in his throat and reach out to her, moving her from her own chair to straddle his lap as he deepened the kiss. They were quickly losing themselves in each other when a rap on the door caught their attention. Foreheads pressed together, they turned to see who had knocked to see Gladys giving them a knowing look and an eye roll before she sauntered off to her office with a cackle.

"Perhaps we should save this for home," Chuck murmured.

"Your home or mine?" Sarah giggled, "'Cause I gotta tell you, mine is a little crowded with my mom and Molly there as an instant audience. I really need to get my own place."

"Whatever happened to the condo in Echo Park?" Chuck asked as Sarah slowly removed herself from his lap and resumed her own seat.

"I was outbid," Sarah shrugged, "Now I'm back to square one, and with the season opening being this weekend, and the final rehearsals, I have no spare time in which to look."

"Have I told you how much I am looking forward to seeing you perform," Chuck gave her a supportive smile, "I haven't been able to watch you perform live since high school."

"Well, I hope I have improved a little since then," She joked.

"Oh, I'm sure you have," Chuck stated confidently then checked his watch, "Well I'd better get going, our time is almost up."

Chuck stood and began collecting their now empty water bottles, wrappers, and containers tossing them in the bag in which they'd come. Sarah watched him for a moment, chewing on her lower lip contemplatively, "Chuck?"

Her voice was so soft, he almost didn't hear it over the sound of the paper bag crinkling as he loaded it up with their trash. When she placed her hand, softly, on his wrist he turned and saw the serious look on her face. She nodded toward his chair, indicating that she wanted him to sit.

"What is it, Baby?" He asked, concern lacing his voice at the serious look on her face.

"Do you mind waiting a minute?" She gave him a hopeful look, "I don't want to do this alone." She quickly rose, exited the room and entered her office to retrieve her cell phone. A moment later, she returned and took her seat across from Chuck. Pulling the paper out of her pocket, she quickly dialed the nine digits and hit the send button. Setting the note on the table beside her, she reached out with her free hand to hold Chuck's, seeking out his support and strength.

The phone rang a few times then went to voicemail. She listened to the message for a moment, caught between frustration and relief that she didn't have to actually speak to him, before the beep signaled for her to leave her message. "Um, hi, this is, erm Sarah Walker. We knew each other a few years ago… back in New York. I um, I don't know if you remember or not, but I got pregnant shortly before you left, we have a little girl, her name is Molly. I'm not looking for child support or anything, we're good with that, but since you have made no attempt to contact us, I'm assuming you are unable to be her father, which is fine. I um, actually met someone, it's getting serious, and someday he may want to adopt her. Your name isn't on the birth certificate or anything, but I still thought you might want to know, maybe consider officially signing over your parental rights to reduce any hiccups. You don't have to come see her or anything, I just need your address to send you the paperwork. Give me a call back, my number is (818)555-3964. Um, for what it's worth, I don't regret our time together, because it gave me the greatest gift I could ever ask for. So, I guess, thank you, bye."

She hung up with a sigh, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She felt Chuck gently squeeze her hand, causing her to look up and see the support, love, and compassion brimming in his eyes. "So, I guess that's it then, balls' in his court now," Sarah spoke softly.

Chuck nodded and stood slowly to his full height, a slight tug on Sarah's hand had her joining him. He wrapped her up in his long arms, causing her to nuzzle into his chest as he pressed kisses to her head and temple as she relaxed into his embrace. "I am so proud of you," He whispered, "That was a really brave thing to do, especially since you didn't have to."

"Yes, I did," She nodded, "You laid yourself on the line to get that number for me, the least I could do was use it. Thank your hacker friend for me."

"I will," He promised, making a mental note to do just that the next time his father contacted him. Any further conversation was interrupted by the bell, signaling the change of periods, ringing out. "I guess that's my cue to leave. If I don't see you sooner, I will see you Saturday."

"Your tickets will be at will-call," Sarah nodded, "I left enough for you, Ellie, Awesome, Clara, as well as my mom and Molly at the desk."

"Okay," Chuck nodded, "I love you." He pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

As the pulled back, she whispered against his lips, "I love you too." She watched as Chuck gathered their trash and give her one last smile before heading out of the practice room. She saw him duck into the office he shared with Gladys to say goodbye before heading back to the classroom and into the hallway as she quickly put the chairs back on the stack before straightening her clothes and using her phone as a mirror to check her makeup before heading out to the classroom to start the daily warmups.


	8. Chapter 8

Chuck had just finished knotting the tie around his neck and straightening his tux jacket when he heard a knock on his door. He checked himself once more in the mirror and was pleased with what he saw. He'd just gotten a haircut, much to the relief of his older sister, that left the sides shorter, but with enough length on top to allow it to still curl. His suit was tailored to fit his trim frame, and his dress shoes had been polished to a mirrored shine. Satisfied with his appearance, he descended the stairs to answer the door.

"Hey, Sis, just about ready to go," Chuck greeted her, not really pausing to look at her as he turned back to his kitchen where a bouquet of gardenias lay on the table. The bright white of the blossoms were a stark contrast to the dark green foliage surrounding them. Stopping at his entry way table, he slid his wallet into his back pocket, cellphone into the breast pocket of his jacket, and grabbed his keys. Turning he saw his sister dressed in a burgundy formal gown with a cap sleeve, sweetheart neckline, and column skirt; Devon stood behind her in a well-fitting tux, Clara perched on his hip in a light purple party dress and black, patent leather, mary-janes. "You all look great, especially you, Clara, you are quite lovely this evening."

"Thank you, Uncle Chuck," The girl smiled from her position on her father's hip.

"You're looking rather dapper yourself," Ellie piped in, stepping up to him and adjusting his tie to lay straight, "Sarah is going to be very impressed."

"Thanks," Chuck blushed at her comment before clearing his throat, "Alright let's go!"

It didn't take long for the small family to load up in their cars, the only delay was to move Clara's booster seat from her parents' car to her uncle's as she insisted on riding in Chuck's 'Spy Car.' "Hey munchkin," Chuck handed her the flowers once he slid into the car, "Can you hold these for me?"

"Yeah!" Clara grinned, accepting the flowers and looking at them, "They're pretty, who are the flowers for?"

"Do you remember Miss Sarah from the beach?" Chuck met her eyes in the rearview as he pulled out onto the street heading toward the concert hall.

"Uh-huh," Clara nodded enthusiastically, "She's Molly's mommy. I play with Molly at daycare all the time! She's really pretty."

"Yes, she is. She is also a very talented musician," Chuck grinned at his niece through the rearview mirror, "It's her concert that we are going to. She is what they call a featured soloist, which means that she is going to stand at the front of the stage and play a special part of the music while the rest of the orchestra backs her up. It can be very scary to do that, so we are going to go and listen to her play so that she can have some friendly faces in the audience."

"Cool," Clara nodded, "So why are we bringing her flowers?"

"It's a nice thing to do when you go to see someone perform," Chuck informed her as he merged onto the I-5, checking his mirrors to make sure his sister and brother-in-law's van was close behind him. "It makes them feel appreciated for all the hard work they put into what they are doing. A lot of times they get roses, but I know gardenias are Miss Sarah's favorite flower so I'm giving her those instead."

"Okay," Clara gave him a thoughtful look, "Does that mean that I'll get flowers when I have my ballet recital next month?"

"Of course!" Chuck stated emphatically, "Do you have a favorite flower?"

"I like the pretty poufy ones at the grocery store," She gave him her little girl version of the Bartowski smile.

"Carnations it is, a big bouquet of them!" He chuckled at her excitement. The rest of the ride was spent talking about everything that came into Clara's head from her new dress, to her kindergarten teacher and her friends at school and ballet, how excited she was for her recital, even the trip to Disneyland that her parents didn't know she knew about. Chuck loved times like this when he got to share in the little girl's enthusiasm. As he listened to her talk, he found himself wondering if Molly would be like this when she was older, which led to wondering what his children would look like if he and Sarah decided to take that step, and the ones that traditionally precede it. They had only been dating for a little over a month and he wondered if it was too soon to want to take that step.

His thoughts and the conversation began to wane as they pulled into the parking garage. He pulled his ticket and waited for the gate to open before guiding his car into the underground parking, driving slowly so as to not endanger other concert goers who were walking through the parking structure, but to allow his brother-in-law to keep up with him so that they could try to find parking spaces near each other. Thankfully, there were two spaces next to each other on the second sublevel, and the two men swung their respective vehicles in and turned off their ignitions. Chuck helped Clara out of her booster seat and kept an eye on her as she stood by the rear wheel of the car, as she had been taught to do, until he freed the contraption from the rear seat and handed it to Devon who was waiting, with the sliding door of the van open, to install the seat once more for their return trip as the adults knew Chuck was planning to take Sarah out for a late dinner after the concert.

Taking Clara's small hand in his own, Chuck started walking, Ellie and Devon close behind, toward the elevators that would bring them up to the main level where the will-call desk resided. When they entered the main foyer, the look of amazement on Clara's face as she took in the grandiose wooden beams that soared over her head, a stark contrast to the gleaming stainless-steel outer façade, brought a smile to her uncle's lips.

"Wow!" Clara sighed, much to the amusement of her adults.

"You said it, Clair Bear," Chuck smiled down at her as they made their way to join the line of people waiting to pick up their tickets. Thankfully they had several people working the desk, and each line was clearly marked with the initials for each assistance clerk, so no one had to wait for long. A glad relief for those attending the concert with a young girl of five. When it was finally their turn, Chuck approached the desk. "Bartowski, we should have four tickets on hold."

The guest assistance clerk, a pretty brunette with curly hair and hazel eyes behind thin framed, pale purple glasses, gave him and the little girl whose hand he still held, a warm smile as she thumbed through the file before her. Pulling an envelope from the accordion file and verifying it against her check list, she handed the envelope to him. "Here you go, Mr. Bartowski. I hope your family enjoys the concert. Seating will begin in about 45 minutes. We invite you to explore the space. There is a small pre-concert performance in B.P. Hall featuring our first chair Bassoon, Carina Miller, and our Oboist, Zondra Rizzo. They are playing a medley from Pirates of the Caribbean."

"We may stop and give it a listen then," Chuck smiled at the woman, "Thank you for the suggestion.

"You're welcome, Mr. Bartowski," The woman smiled back, "And may I say your daughter is beautiful."

Clara laughed at the woman's statement, "He's not my daddy, he's my Uncle Chuck. My Mommy and Daddy are over there." She pointed toward the couple who were standing patiently by a nearby pillar waiting for their brother and daughter to return.

The woman blushed prettily, "I'm sorry, my mistake."

"Don't worry about it," Chuck assured the young woman, "She looks like her mother, who is incidentally my sister, so it's an understandable assumption."

"Oh," The woman nodded, "Alright then, I hope you enjoy your visit."

"We will," Chuck nodded, "Thanks again."

Taking Clara's hand in his once more, he guided the little girl back to where her parents were standing. Since they had a little while before seating was to begin, they decided to stop at B.P. Hall to see if they couldn't catch a bit of the performance before venturing to the third level and it's outdoor space so that Clara could run around and get her wiggles out before heading into the main hall to enjoy the concert.

Clara really enjoyed watching the women perform in the small concert space along with their piano accompaniment. She had been allowed to watch Pirates of the Caribbean for the first time just a month before with her uncle serving as sensor, covering her eyes during the parts he deemed might be a little too scary for her. She never told him that she peeked through his fingers during the fighting scenes and they didn't give her any nightmares at all. She actually thought the monkey was cute and had dreamed of Monkey Jack that night. So, when she heard the women playing pieces from the movie, she got really excited, chattering non-stop to her uncle and parents. This drew amused looks from other concert goers at the little girl's enthusiasm.

About ten minutes before the doors opened, or about thirty to curtain, the small family made their way up to the third level to wander around the green space. Clara fell in love with the giant rose fountain that sat in the middle of the garden. She first ran then slowly walked around the water feature, watching as the water poured from tier to tier, much like the fountain that sat between her parents' and her uncle's condos. The broken pottery that had been inlaid into the cement making up the design of the feature was pretty, and she liked running her hand over its uneven surface. Before she knew it, her mom called her back, saying that it was time to find their seats.

Chuck checked the tickets and found that they were going to be in the stage left balcony, just forward of the stage. Finding their entrance, he showed the tickets to the usher who scanned them and pushed back the curtain to allow them access to their section. Their seats were in the first row, Chuck went in first, followed by Clara, Ellie, and Awesome. He counted the seats and found that he was to be seated next to an older woman with greying dirty blonde hair. He didn't recognize the woman until the toddler in her lap squealed, getting his, and her attention.

"Well, fancy meeting you here," The woman smiled when she recognized the man sitting beside her, "How are you doing, Chuck?"

"I'm doing well, Emma," Chuck smiled back at her.

"We brought Miss Sarah flowers," Clara beamed proudly, holding up the bouquet that Chuck had, once again, set in her lap at her request.

"Those are lovely, Clara, I'm sure she will love them," Emma assured the little girl before turning her attention to the adults sitting just beyond the little girl, "Ellie, Devon, good to see you too. You all look so nice tonight."

"Thank you, Emma," Ellie gave her a soft smile, "It's nice being able to get out of my scrubs for a night."

"Yeah, that's pretty awesome," Devon agreed, making the other adults snicker at his favorite word.

"I know the feeling," Emma nodded, "One of the littles in my ward is undergoing kidney dialysis and dispite him not feeling well, the little guy loves to dance. One of the volunteers always plays him music on her phone, as he has come to expect it from her visits."

"Oh no, I think I know where this is going," Ellie groaned, "Who got hit?"

"She did," Emma smirked, "Neon green puke down her pants, but she took it like a champ. Put him back in his little monkey cage, hit the call button, and set to work cleaning him up with some wet wipes. She had him mostly cleaned up by the time I got there to get him changed. Thankfully we had some scrubs we loan to the teens to sleep in, so once the little guy was cleaned up, we hunted them down so that she could change and finish her shift."

"Poor little guy," Ellie cooed.

"Yeah, he's one of our frequent residents," Emma shook her head sadly, "Thankfully, that particular volunteer comes in a couple times a week; with the amount of care he needs and the fact his family lives so far away, her visits are the highlight of his week. He always asks for his 'Mimi' and gets so happy when she comes, it doesn't matter if she walks around the ward with him, plays with him, or sits back on the recliner and snuggles him as they watch 'Cars.' Only thing he doesn't like, although his physical and occupational therapists love her for it, is she refuses to carry him around and makes him walk. His mom spoils him and carries him around everywhere, so he doesn't like to walk."

"I think I've seen them a time or two when I was checking on a couple of my pediatric cardiac patients," Devon chipped in, "Young woman a little younger than Chuck, wavy brown hair?"

"That's her," Emma nodded, "I don't know how much longer she'll be with us. Mina, that's her name, just went back to school last month, so she may not be able to keep up with her schoolwork, job, and volunteering. She's a newlywed, too. Wouldn't be too surprised if we saw her again in a professional capacity in a few years. She mentioned that she is still trying to decide between ASL Interpreting or Nursing with an emphasis on Pediatric medicine."

"I'd like to meet her someday," Ellie gave Emma a smile, "Let me know next time she's around and I'll see if I can't make my way to your side of the building."

"I'll do that," Emma promised, bouncing Molly in her lap. The little girl had begun to squirm, and it was quickly becoming distracting.

The orchestra took the stage, quickly finding their seats and settling in as the lights of the hall began to dim. When the Maestro took the stage, the audience began to applaud. The Maestro was trim, and of average height, with a thick head of dark hair, and looked to be of at least partial Latin descent. He bowed to the audience before picking up the microphone that rested on a stand near the director's box and welcomed everyone in attendance. He gave a brief overview of what pieces had been selected and wished for the ticket holders to enjoy the concert. To the surprise of all the adults, both Clara, who was still between her mother and uncle, and Molly, who had eventually migrated into Chuck's lap and was snuggled up against his chest, were well behaved.

In between pieces, Clara would sometimes ask a question about one of the instruments or tell her adults what she liked or didn't about the piece that had just ended. Other times, she would turn and play with Molly, keeping the younger girl entertained. After about a half an hour, the Maestro turned back to the audience, microphone in hand and announced that they would have a featured soloist joining them on stage. He informed the audience that the soloist was the newest addition to the orchestra, had graduated top of her class from Columbia, and had left the New York Philharmonic where she had been the youngest member ever admitted to the elite orchestra, to return home to California.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the beautiful, the talented, the incomparable, Sarah Walker," The Maestro led the applause as the stage right doors swung open, revealing a woman with blonde hair twisted back into a low chignon that rested just below her right ear, she wore a royal blue sleeveless gown with a lace illusion neckline that had silver accents weaved into the lace, a fitted bodice, and a long, flowing chiffon skirt that had a sweep train in the back. In her left hand, she held the neck of her instrument and had the end of her bow hooked onto the forefinger of the same hand. She used her right to waive to the audience.

Molly immediately noticed when her mother took the stage, sitting up and scooting forward on Chuck's lap until she was holding onto the balcony rail, calling, "Mommy! Mommy!"

Although she couldn't hear her little girl, she saw movement in the balcony where she knew her family and her boyfriend's family sat. Despite the dim lighting of the hall, she could make out that Molly was seated in Chuck's lap, both with twin loving smiles on their faces. She couldn't help but grin and blow them a kiss. The action was returned by both of her targets before she nodded to the Maestro that she was ready. Once the man retook his perch and raised his hands, she lifted her instrument and began her solo.

Chuck had never heard anything so beautiful in his life. He knew how talented she was, but this performance blew him away, he couldn't have been prouder of her if he'd tried. The piece lasted 8 minutes, and when the last note echoed throughout the hall, the room exploded in applause and cheers, as the majority of the room rose in an ovation. Chuck could just faintly make out the slight flush that rose to Sarah's cheeks as she curtsied, turned back toward where he stood, a clapping Molly perched on his hip, the lines of his tux be damned, and blew him one more kiss, which he returned. She curtsied once more and exited the stage. Once the applause had calmed down, the Maestro thanked the patrons for coming for their season opening concert, bowed, then gestured for the orchestra to stand and bow as one before they began to file off the stage to the applause of the audience.

Clara had started getting sleepy but insisted that she say goodbye to Sarah before she left, so the Bartowski/Woodcomb/Walker family wound their way through the crowd to the main level and backstage. As a featured soloist, Sarah had her own dressing room, it didn't take long to be pointed in the right direction. After a little begging, the adults allowed Molly to knock on the large green door. A moment later, the door swung open, revealing Sarah, still dressed in her gown, wisps of hair escaping her updo. The way she looked was definitely in Chuck's top 10 most beautiful Sarah moments.

"Hey!" She grinned, stepping aside and opening the door wider, "Come on in, it's a little small in here, but I think some of you can fit on the couch."

The group filed in, Chuck, who still held Molly, handed the little girl over to her mother, "Mama!" The girl cried out, wrapping her little arms around Sarah's neck, "Mama play pretty."

"Thank you, Baby," Sarah nuzzled her neck.

"We brought you flowers, Miss Sarah," Clara spoke up, holding the large bouquet that was easily as big as her head aloft in offering to the older woman.

"Thank you, Clara; they're beautiful," Sarah grinned, accepting the bouquet, giving it a small sniff and setting it on her dressing table until it was time to head home. Molly had already nuzzled into her neck and was quickly drifting off.

"Here let me take her," Emma offered, taking the small girl into her arms with only a mild protestation from the toddler.

"We should probably get going," Ellie added, "It's getting late for Clara and she has swimming lessons tomorrow. We really enjoyed the concert, you were amazing!"

"Thank you," Sarah blushed lightly at the praise from her boyfriend's sister and ersatz mother. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves," She then crouched down and brushed Clara's bangs out of her eyes, giving the little girl a brief hug, "Now, it's time for all good little girls to go home and go to sleep. I'm super glad you came tonight."

"Okay," Clara nodded, rubbing her eyes, "I'm super glad I came too, you play really good."

"Thank you, Sweetheart," Sarah pressed a kiss to the little girl's forehead before nudging her back toward her parents and standing to her full height. "I think it's time for Little Miss to get some sleep too." She nodded to her daughter who now was sleeping on her grandmother's shoulder.

Emma agreed and after a quick round of goodbyes, the Woodcombs and Emma left with their young charges. Once the door was closed, Chuck and Sarah flew into each other's arms as if they were drawn together magnetically, arms embracing, lips crashing together. It didn't take long for Chuck's hand to drift up into his girlfriend's hair, displacing even more of her locks from the carefully crafted knot at the back of her head.

"You know, Clara was right," Chuck finally spoke a little later as they sat, cuddled up on the small sofa of the dressing room, still dressed in their formal attire, the only concessions to comfort being Chuck's tux jacket now laying over the top of the makeup chair and his tie now laying loose around his neck. "You were amazing tonight. I knew you were good, but tonight was… something else!"

"Thank you," Sarah dropped her head, hoping to hide the flush she felt grace her cheeks. Chuck wouldn't allow this for long before lifting her chin until her face was turned up to him enough to press a soft kiss to her lips. Their kissing was interrupted a few moments later by a knock on the door. The couple leaned back, sharing a look of confusion, "Who on Earth could that be?"

"Don't ask me," Chuck shrugged, "It's your dressing room."

"I suppose that means I should go answer it," Sarah sighed, standing and trying to smooth the errant hair back into place, however unsuccessful the attempt and crossed to the door, Chuck close on her heels as they heard another knock echo through the room. "Keep your pants on, I'm coming!" She huffed.

As she pulled the door open, both hers and Chuck's eyes widened at the sight of the intruder. "Hey guys, did you miss me?"


	9. Chapter 9

The stunned silence that overtook Chuck and Sarah only lasted a moment as they took in the man standing before them. Chuck, who had recovered just before Sarah did, broke the silence, "Bryce?"

"What are you doing here?" Came the dual inquiries of Bryce and Sarah with Bryce addressing Chuck, and Sarah addressing Bryce.

When no one replied for a moment, Sarah repeated the question, demanding a response from Bryce. "You said I had a kid," He winced, he at least seemed to look sheepish over the matter, "I thought we could talk about that. What is Chuck doing here? How do you even know him?"

Sarah rolled her eyes before answering, "I told you when I got pregnant, and despite the fact you left the very next day, the fact you have a child should be of no surprise to you." She paused a very brief moment and added as an aside, "It almost makes me wonder if you have any other children you've conveniently forgotten."

"I was reassigned," Bryce shrugged as if abandoning her and their daughter had been no big deal, "On the phone you mentioned it was a little girl. When can I meet her?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Sarah crossed her arms defiantly, "You clearly had no interest in being in her life until now."

"Well maybe I want to start," Bryce pouted slightly and looked up and down the hall at the staff and performers who were still milling about. "Can I at least come inside so we can talk?"

"Fine," Sarah sighed, stepping back to allow him passage into the room. She felt Chuck's hand on her lower back lending her strength while simultaneously grounding her to him. Gesturing to the armchair that sat next to her vanity, she invited Bryce to sit as she and Chuck followed him further into the room. As Bryce took his seat, Sarah took a seat on the love seat, that sat kitty-corner from the chair and against the connected wall and pulled Chuck down next to her in the space closest to Bryce. Much to her relief, Chuck did not release her hand. Instead, he cradled it in his own and gently ran the pad of his thumb over her knuckles, which helped to keep her calm. "You wanted to talk, so talk."

"You haven't answered my question," Bryce looked over at them.

"What question is that?" Sarah arched an eyebrow.

"What is Chuck doing here?" Bryce repeated with an exasperated sigh.

"Chuck is my boyfriend, not that it is any of your business, he came to see my concert," Sarah explained, "Our family just left, which is what we were preparing to do."

"Still going after my sloppy seconds, huh, Chuck?" Bryce smirked.

Sarah felt Chuck's hand tightened around her own, but he did not dignify Bryce's comment with a response. Following Chuck's lead, Sarah ignored the juvenile comment. "Bruce, Bryce… I don't even know what to call you."

"You never seemed to have trouble calling things out before," Bryce grinned, a slight leer in his eyes, "I believe 'God,' and 'Oh Baby' were the most common."

"Okay, Bryce, that's enough," Chuck growled, the low tone surprising both his girlfriend and former best friend. "Cut the crap and just tell us why you are here. We all know you could have just given Sarah an address to send the forms to, I assume you had an ulterior motive for coming."

"Is wanting to meet my daughter before I gave her up too much of a stretch to be believable?" Bryce challenged his former roommate.

"In a word, yes," Chuck gave him a flat look, "You forget, I know you pretty well, despite the shit you pulled back at Stanford."

"Fine," Bryce gave in, "Seeing Chuck here gives me an idea as to how you got my secure number." He then turned his focus to Chuck, "There are only a few people who have that number or the skillset to retrieve it from where it is buried in the archives; the director would have disclosed it to you, even upon pain of death. My former partner was reassigned after being accused and then cleared of treason and was put on an assignment that required her to cut ties and go deep undercover. That just leaves one other person. Funny thing is that they have been off grid for a while now, and no one knows how to reach him or where he is. So, the question is, how did you find him, and what did you say to get him to help you?"

"I don't know what you are talking about, Bryce," Chuck shrugged, "Do I need to remind you of my particular skillset?"

"Oh please," Bryce rolled his eyes, "You and I both know you haven't dusted off that persona since college."

"That you know of…" Chuck challenged him, "Let's just lay this all out on the table, I know who and what you are. I found your dossier, which includes all your covers and contact information. You cause trouble for Sarah or her daughter and I will not hesitate to get you burned."

"Strong words from a hacker has-been," Bryce scoffed, "You're just jealous you missed your opportunity. If only you had done better on that test…"

"Oh, you mean the image retention test that I aced from Fleming's class?" Chuck's eyebrows raised at the surprised look on Bryce's face, "Yeah, I know about the test. I also know that I had a protector within the agency, an old friend of Fleming's who convinced him to quash the results to remove me from the agency's radar."

"Wha… how… huh?" Bryce couldn't figure out how Chuck could possibly have such connections.

"It's not important," Chuck shook his head, "And it most certainly is irrelevant to the purpose of your visit. In fact, I think it would be best if you forget I'm here and deal directly with Sarah as she is the one with whom you have business."

Bryce glared at his old friend through narrowed eyes before turning back to Sarah, who was looking at him as if he were something she had found on the bottom of her shoe. "So, can I meet her?"

Sarah sighed at his inquiry, "Bryce, that's not a good idea." Sarah shook her head, "The nature of your job notwithstanding, you have known about her since the day I found out I was pregnant and have shown no interest in being a part of her life. I'm not bringing someone into her life who is only going to disappear on her in a day or two."

"Fine, then what do you want from me?" Bryce rolled his eyes.

"All I wanted was for you to sign a document stating that you waive all parental rights to my daughter." Sarah explained, "I have not sought you out for child support or anything, and until I called and asked you to do this, you haven't bothered to come around for the past three years."

"I was on missions, and by the time I came back state side, you'd moved to the other side of the country." Bryce tried to protest.

"Oh, save it," Sarah huffed, "You and I both know you have the resources to be able to find us easily, you chose to not be a part of our lives. I would have allowed you to be a part of her life, if you had only asked, even though our relationship ended. Hell, I didn't even technically have to do you the courtesy of letting you know that I want to allow the person I marry to adopt her, since your name isn't on her birth certificate. Which is a good thing too, as I'm sure that having an alias on her birth certificate could have proven to be problematic someday. Not to mention, I'm sure the CIA would have flagged the name if I had and then where would we be?"

"Yeah, sorry about that," Bryce shrugged, "As an agent, I cannot reveal my reall identity to anyone, even my girlfriends. It could compromise my missions."

"All the more reason for you to sign away your parental rights," Sarah arched an eyebrow. "Even if we were on good terms, I can't have you coming and going from her life on a whim. That's not fair to her."

"Oh, cut the shit, Sarah," Bryce rolled his eyes, "Chuck is wanting to play 'Daddy' to your little girl, and because you are sleeping with him, you are willing to play the submissive little bitch and give in to him. Well let me tell you something, I have it on good authority that he can't possibly be that good in bed."

"Hey!" Chuck moved quickly, faster than Sarah could even catch him, grabbing the lapels of Bryce's jacket and slamming him up against the sliver of wall between his chair and the vanity in the room, "Say what you want about me, I don't give a shit. But you will not walk into her home, her life, her place of business…" Bryce snorted earning him another slam against the wall, "And insult, demean, or disparage her good name or so help me…"

"What?" Bryce challenged, the taunt clear in his voice, "By your pretty floral bonnet, you will end me?"

"Something like that," The steel in the programmer's voice sent a shiver down Sarah's spine. She knew it wasn't fear, quite the opposite, but she knew that if she didn't put a stop, one or both of them would take the altercation further than needed.

"Chuck," She spoke softly, placing her hand on his shoulder, "As pleased as I am that you wish to protect my honor, it is not necessary. He's not worth it, thank you though." She gave him a soft smile as she saw him physically uncoil and release his grip on Bryce before turning her icy cold glare at the government agent, "As for you, I can see now that reaching out to you was a mistake. I only wish I could have seen the mistake I was making three years ago. The only redeemable thing about your glorified donation was the beautiful little girl that came of it. Please leave and go… wherever the rock is you climbed out from under is located."

She turned and walked toward the door to let him out, her actions making it clear she expected him to follow. Her steps stopped as it was clear Bryce did not understand the value in keeping his mouth shut.

"Yeah, walk away bitch, you were a lousy lay anyhow," Bryce snarled after her. She then heard the sound of flesh impacting flesh followed by the sound of something falling to the floor, but not before hitting the coffee table that sat in front of the love seat on the way down.

Turning, Sarah saw Chuck standing over Bryce, shaking his hand as he looked down at the man who lay prone on the floor, a bruise forming along the right side of his jaw and a cut above his eye where his head must have hit the corner of the table. At her sigh, Chuck looked up, a sheepish blush on his face, "I'm sorry, I couldn't…"

"Shh," She shook her head, crossing to him and pressing her first two fingers to his lips to cease his words, "You have nothing to apologize for. Thank you." She rose up on her toes and replaced her fingers with her lips, giving him a soft but impassioned kiss. A moment later, she stepped back, "I should probably call security to have him taken out."

"Good idea," Chuck nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Sarah gave him a small smile before stepping out of his embrace, her urge to linger in his arms apparent in the movement, and picked up the receiver from the phone on the desk and pressing the hot button for the venue's security office, she spoke quietly and thanked whomever answered before hanging up the phone. She then walked over to Chuck and guided him back to the love seat, pushing him backwards until he sat. Lifting her skirt a bit to allow the movement, she slipped off the heeled shoes she had been wearing and sat on the love seat next to her boyfriend, curling her feet up underneath her gown, laying her skirt back over top of them, and leaning against his shoulders, encouraging him to wrap her in his arms once more.

They sat in silence a few moments, neither one fully losing sight of the man knocked out on the floor. Bryce had already started to recover by the time the security guards arrived moments later. After a brief conversation with Sarah and Chuck as to the situation that led to not only Bryce's presence in the room but the bruise on the man's cheek that was about the size of Chuck's left fist, the same one that showed evidence of having been used in a maneuver similar to a left hook. The men escorted Bryce out of the room while one called ahead to make sure that and EMT was on the way to evaluate the dark-haired man.

"Are you sorry I offered to track him down for you?" Chuck asked his girlfriend as they watched Bryce being escorted out.

"No," Sarah shook her head, "I think on some level I needed the closure from that time of my life. Like I told him, I really didn't need him to waive his paternal rights as he was never listed on Molly's birth certificate. While I wish this had gone smoother, I'm glad it happened all the same." They stood silent for a moment before she looked back up at him, "How was it you were able to overpower a trained spy?"

Chuck shrugged, "I think it was a combination of adrenaline, anger over his treatment of you, and the Taekwondo lessons I took growing up."

"You know Taekwondo?" She arched an eyebrow.

"A little," Chuck blushed.

"How little?" She pressed.

"I think the shadow box with my third-degree belt is still on display at Ellie's house," He shrugged.

"Wait… You're a third-degree black belt?" She gave him an impressed look.

"Yeah, or at least I was when I was 17," Chuck gave her a wry smile, "It's not nearly as impressive as it may seem, depending on the discipline there can be up to 10 dans or degrees of black belt, so third is not really all that great. It just means I studied a long time and can perform certain maneuvers competently. I stopped attending classes at the end of my junior year of high school, I wanted to focus on getting scholarships and getting into a good college."

"Gotcha," Sarah nodded understandingly, "What got you into it?"

"You've met Morgan and me, right?" Chuck joked, when Sarah nodded, he continued, "Well, we were kinda targets for bullies as kids, on account of how nerdy we were… and are. In first or second grade, I came across some kids from our class bullying Morgan, it was looking to get physical, so I stepped in and fought the bullies on Morgan's behalf. My parents, and his, freaked out and immediately enrolled us in the first marshal arts classes they could find. Morgan got as far as his green belt and lost interest, I kept going. Turns out some of those bullies were in our class, when they saw me mastering the skills faster than they did, the bullying quickly stopped."

"Gee, wonder why," Sarah gave him a wry smile. "Were there many girls in your classes?"

"A few, back then, and even now, any kind of marshal arts outside of basic self-defense, is considered a 'boy thing,'" Chuck rolled his eyes, "I think it's a good skill for anyone who is interested to pursue, not only does it teach you to defend yourself, but more importantly it teaches you discipline and respect. Clara has grown up seeing that shadow box at my sister's place and has been recently asking about it. Devon is all for it, Ellie is still a little on the fence about it. It's not that she thinks girls can't do it, she is definitely all about the female power, she just remembers the bruises I used to get when someone got in a lucky strike, I broke my fingers a few times, my hand once because I wasn't paying attention to my technique. She's worried that Clara will get hurt."

"As any mother would," Sarah agreed, "But I agree with you, about girls doing marshal arts, sports, dance, or anything that enforces the lessons of discipline and respect they learn at home. One of the ladies in the orchestra, Deb, has all boys. They wanted to take karate, and she allowed it, but with one condition, they had to take ballroom as well. She said the boys hated it at first, but once they realized it involved being able to hold a girl in their arms, their complaints died down a bit. But enough about that, I'm ready to get out of here, are you?"

"Most definitely," Chuck nodded enthusiastically, "Do you want to change before we go? I brought a change of clothes, it's in the car if you want to meet me in the lobby or something. I brought a less formal suit to wear to dinner."

"To be honest, with the whole Bryce thing, we probably missed our reservation," Sarah pointed out.

Chuck checked his watch and nodded his agreement, "Well, there are still some places open that are good for a nice dinner out that don't require a reservation."

"To be honest, I'm not really up to a fancy dinner," Sarah shrugged, "I could really go for a casual night in with pizza or Chinese and a beer."

"That actually sounds really good," Chuck agreed, "Why don't we swing by your place so you can change into something more comfortable and we can head back to my place for pizza, beer, and a movie?"

"No need," Sarah shook her head, "I wore casual clothes in and got dressed here, they're in my bag over there," She gestured to a bag that sat in the bottom of the open closet below a garment bag. "We can just go straight to your place."

"Sounds good," Chuck nodded, "Why don't you get your stuff and we can get out of here. What kind of pizza do you like?"

"Veggie, no olives," She advised as she grabbed her duffel bag from the floor and her garment bag from the rod in the closet before joining him once more. They made their way out of the theatre; Chuck having claimed Sarah's bags in one hand while his arm wrapped around her shoulders as they walked to his car. Once he had paid for his parking and left the garage, he activated his hands-free device and ordered pizza to be delivered about 15 minutes after they were due to arrive back at his place.

The rest of the short drive was spent in relative silence, holding hands over the gear shift, fingers intertwined. Every stop light allowed them a loving glance or quick kiss and before they knew it, they'd arrived back at Chuck's condo. Both were excited for their first night alone together, no matter if it was spent eating pizza and watching a movie or if it developed into something a little more.


	10. Chapter 10

The drive back to Chuck's condo didn't take long, before they knew it, he was pulling his car into his assigned space and pulling her overnight bag out of the trunk of the car. This was the first time Sarah was going to be in his condo, since most of their time together was spent either at her house or at his sister's place for family dinners and all their one-on-one time thus far had consisted of dinner out.

"Here it is, Casa de Chuck Bartowski," Chuck opened the door and gestured widely for Sarah to step inside. "We have the living room, kitchen, and my den down here. There's also a bathroom that is accessible from the hall and the den. Upstairs is my room, and the guest room which is currently junk storage. If you don't mind waiting while I grab some clothes, I can change in my ensuite so you can change in the bedroom."

"I can change in the den," Sarah offered, "I don't want to put you out."

"You're not," Chuck gave her a soft smile, "I just hesitate to let you use the den as my father has a very bad habit of initializing video calls at the most inopportune moments, I'm just trying to help you both avoid an awkward situation."

Sarah chuckled and nodded, "Okay, bedroom it is, then." She followed him up the stairs to his room. A large California King bed sat with the large walnut bookcase style headboard up against the far wall. It had a grey and slate blue striped down feather duvet that had pulled all the way up and was folded down just shy of the pillows that were decked out in grey fabric, the sheets were the same slate blue as the stripes on the duvet. Under the window on the attached wall sat a matching dresser, on top of which sat a wood and metal box that she assumed was used to hold his watches and cuff links. On the opposite wall held some artwork, including a framed, vintage, TRON poster that seemed to be well taken care of if the general lack of fingerprints or dust were any indication. Along the same wall were two doors which he explained were his closet and ensuite bathroom.

It was at that point that he excused himself to cross the room, setting her bag on the foot of the bed along the way. He then began opening drawers, pulling a shirt, a pair of jeans, and a couple of items she couldn't see but assumed were underwear and socks out of the dresser. He asked if she needed to use the rest room before he went in, when she shook her head 'no' he nodded and ducked through one of the previously closed doors. She waited a few moments until she heard the sound of a shower starting before opening her bag and pulling out her own change of clothes. Luckily, she had a lot of experience getting in and out of this gown for performances back in New York, so it wasn't difficult to divest herself of the garment. She lay the dress on the bed until she could hang it up properly. It took very little time for her to change into her favorite loose knit, oversized grey sweater. She had stripped off her stockings replacing them with a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and a pair of warm socks. She had a pair of tennis shoes, but she doubted she would have any need of them before the next day.

Once she was dressed, she pulled out her grooming kit, pulling out the pins from her hair, dropping them in the kit as she went, allowing her long blond hair to fall about her shoulders. She quickly ran her brush through to eliminate any tangles that may have occurred before pulling her hair back in a messy bun. She left the grooming kit on the dresser and turned back to the gown that was draped across her boyfriend's bed. Pulling a hanger from her bag, she quickly hung up the gown and walked over to the last door that hadn't seen use by them that night, opening it to reveal a large walk-in closet. Finding an empty space near the door, which was fairly easy as the side practically had nothing hung there. She hung up the gown until it was time to take it to be dry cleaned. Just as she was closing the closet door, she heard the door to the bathroom open, emitting a small amount of steam from Chuck's quick shower.

He had likewise changed into comfortable clothes, his favorite jeans, an olive-green Henley, the sleeves of which were pushed up to just below his elbows, and socks on his feet. Apparently, he likewise did not expect to leave the apartment, something that secretly thrilled Sarah. His hair was still damp from the shower and it was clear it hadn't really been brushed as his curls were mussed and going every which way indicating all he had done was rub them over with his towel. "You all set up here?" He inquired.

"Pretty much," She shrugged, grabbing her grooming kit and setting it in the bathroom, "Okay, now I'm set." She beamed triumphantly.

"Good, me too," Chuck returned the smile, having used her moving her kit to the bathroomt o put away his cufflinks and watch, "Pizza should be here soon."

"Yum!" She could practically hear her stomach roaring at her as they made their way down the stairs.

They were snuggling on the living room couch, listening to music and chatting, when the knock signaling the arrival of their pizza broke their reverie. Chuck begrudgingly slid off the couch and walked over to the door. He checked that the order was correct before tipping the driver and wishing him a good night. Setting the pizza box on the coffee table, Chuck made his way into the kitchen to grab plates, napkins, and utensils for their meal. "Do you want beer or wine? I have white zin, and pinot." He inquired from the arched entry to the kitchen

"The zin would be great," Sarah smiled as she rose to take the plates and utensils off his hands.

Chuck nodded his understanding and reached into the fridge to snag the open bottle of white zinfandel that had been sitting in his door since the last time he'd had his sister over for sizzling shrimp. Reaching up into the cabinet above the fridge, he pulled out two wine glasses and carried them all out to the living room again. He poured out two glasses and set the bottle on the table next to the now open pizza box and handed a glass to Sarah, "To kid-free date nights." He clinked his glass against hers.

"Here, here," She smiled and took a sip, "Does that make me a bad mom that I'm excited to have a Molly-free night?"

"Not at all," Chuck shook his head, "You just need a break from time to time to relax, let your hair down. Especially since you have Emma to help you out and babysit, now."

"Okay," Sarah physically relaxed against the couch, her plate which held a couple slices of pizza, balanced on her lap, her wine glass in her hand. Chuck grabbed a few slices himself and copied her posture as he grabbed a remote and turned on the television and satellite service. They scanned through the listings before finally settling on watching 'The Terminal' which had just started on one of the stations, before settling back to enjoy the movie.

Once the movie had finished, Chuck cleared away their plates, quickly washing them and setting them in the rack to dry. The pizza and wine had long been finished and the containers put into the trash. On his way back to the living room, he opened a bottle of pinot to carry back with him. He poured both of them glasses of wine as he turned on the stereo and a CD of bluesy jazz began to play. They were enjoying snuggling on the couch and sipping wine when one of Chuck's favorite songs began to play and he asked Sarah if she would like to dance. At her nod, he took her glass from her and set it down along with his on the coffee table before rising to his feet and offering his hand to her. He led her to a section of the living room with a bit of space and pulled her into his arms.

As they swayed along with the music, they slowly drifted closer to one another until their bodies were completely flush with one another. Neither wanted to step out of the other's embrace, enjoying the closeness they felt. When the music began to fade, their eyes met as Chuck ducked his head down to capture her lips with his. Sarah felt a shiver drift up her spine as she felt his hands slipping under the hem of her sweater, his warm fingers alternating between drawing intricate patterns on her lower back and pressing into the soft flesh found there. She allowed herself to be drawn deeper into the kiss, opening her mouth and allowing his tongue entry as she let her hands drift up to his shoulders, the fingers of one of her hands reaching up to cup the back of his head.

The kiss eventually led to them stumbling toward the couch where Chuck sat and pulled her down to straddle his lap. Their lips and hands slowly began to wander, much to Sarah's surprise, Chuck immediately found the sweet spot where her jaw and throat met, suckling on the point until goosebumps began to rise along her body as his hands continued their exploration. He had one hand holding and squeezing her thigh while the other caressed her back and side under her sweater. When the neckline of her sweater shifted to reveal her bare shoulder at the same time his hand had drifted further up her back, she could see his eye widen and cloud over at what he had realized. His other hand started its way up her side as his eyes met hers, a silent question in them that was answered with a nod a moment before she felt first the pad of his thumb trace its way around her nipple and areola before his warm hand encased her breast, massaging it as a gasp of pleasure escaped her lips. She could feel the effect it was having on him as she rocked her hips closer to his, as if his eyes crossing at the sensation wasn't a clear indicator to her.

Her hands made their way to the hem of his shirt, pulling it up and over his head revealing his muscular chest and abs which were covered in a light dusting of hair that narrowed into a happy trail and disappeared beneath the waistband of his jeans. Her sweater soon followed; she smiled at Chuck being transfixed on her half naked body, both of his hands framing her breasts, a little fuller now than they had been before she'd had Molly. "You are so beautiful," He whispered as his thumbs brushed over her hardening peaks, causing a shot of pleasure to shoot straight for her core. He began kissing her again, first on the lips then her jaw, neck, and shoulders before one of his hands slid around her back pulling her up and closer to him until he claimed one of herbreasts with his mouth as his other hand continued its ministrations on the other.

"Oh, Baby, that feels good," She moaned, lacing her fingers into the shorter curls at the back of his head, holding him in place as his tongue, teeth, and lips continued to memorize the curve and contours of her breast before he freed her other breast and, tracing soft kisses and licks across her chest, claimed her other breast, switching hands so that the one that had formerly been holding her close to him was replaced and now claimed the sister of the breast he was now suckling on.

"Hmmm," He hummed against her as his lips began their slow progress back up to her shoulder, neck and lips, "You taste delicious, Sweetheart."

Sarah blushed as she allowed her hands to trace along his abs and chest, tangling her fingers in the hair that adorned his chest while she began to kiss along his jaw and throat, giggling as he jumped and took a quick gasp when she nibbled on his ear. She continued her explorations as she felt his hands slide down to her lower back, one hand slipping just under the waistband of her pants while the other softly squeezed her ass. Soon her hands began their own southward migration until they were resting over the button of his jeans.

Chuck quickly grabbed her hands with his own and leaned back, "Are you sure you are wanting to do this?" He inquired.

"From what I can tell, I'm not the only one wanting this," She teased, one hand drifting to caress him through the denim of his jeans, feeling his excitement pressing back into her palm.

"I'm just worried it's too soon," He whispered, trying to focus.

"Chuck, I think nearly 10 years is long enough to wait," She smiled down at him before leaning in to press a kiss below his ear, "I think the better question is, do we continue this here, or are you going to take me up to bed?"

A soft growl came from her boyfriend's throat as he held her close to him and stood as she wrapped her legs around her waist and squealed happily at his behavior. She pressed soft kisses and was whispering ideas to him as he climbed the stairs and carried her into the bedroom.

When dawn broke, Sarah couldn't help the sated and happy smile the graced her face as she looked up from her warm pillow to see the sleeping form of her boyfriend who still held her in his arms. When she shifted, he pulled her closer to him like a child with a favorite teddy bear. Despite his hold on her, she was still able to move enough to straddle him, enjoying the feeling of him pressing against her as she leaned forward to place soft kisses along his chest.

"Good morning," He murmured sleepily up at her, "To what do I owe the pleasure of such a great wake up?"

"Well," Sarah gave him a saucy grin, "Part of you was already awake, so I figured the rest of you should be too," She rocked her hips against him causing him to groan.

"You are gonna be the death of me, woman," He growled, pulling her closer to him so he could kiss her

"Mmm," She agreed, "But what away to go." She sighed, then gasped as he flipped her onto her back as he hovered over her, one hand braced next to her head, the other encircling her hip.

"I couldn't agree more," He agreed, lowering his head to meet her lips as he joined her once more.

It was late morning by the time they pulled themselves out of bed and into the shower where they spent even more time enjoying themselves before actually getting clean in the rapidly cooling water. Chuck had just pulled on his pants when he heard a knock on his door and rushed down the stairs, shirt in hand, to answer. He noticed his shirt and Sarah's sweater on the floor by the couch as he passed by, pausing quickly to pick up the garments and toss them into his coat closet before going to the front door as he pulled on his shirt, nearly having it on as the door opened enough to reveal his sister.

Ellie took in his appearance from his bare feet, to his jeans, shirt he was just pulling on, and wet curls and gave him a knowing look. "I see someone had a good night."

"Not that it is any of your business, but we did enjoy ourselves last night," Chuck stepped aside to allow his sister entry to the apartment before ducking into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee to brew.

Sarah had heard the voices downstairs and, since her sweater was still in the livingroom, she grabbed one of Chuck's shirts at random, and headed out of the room. Ellie noticed as the younger woman descended the stairs, also bare foot, in jeans, and wearing one of her brother's shirts, a brown one with a picture of a floppy disk that read 'My Entire Life.' Ellie couldn't help noticing how appropriate that shirt was for the younger woman to wear as she was rapidly becoming her brother's entire life.

"Good morning Ellie," Sarah smiled at her boyfriend's sister, trying to project an air of confidence, but was nervous to be seen coming from what was essentially her boyfriend's bedroom by the woman who more or less raised him. "How are you?"

"I'm good," The older woman smiled at the slight hint of nerves she saw radiating from Sarah, "Did you enjoy your kid-free night?"

"Yeah, but I miss Molly too much to do it too often," Sarah shrugged.

"I know what you mean," Ellie agreed, "The first time we left Clara so we could attend a two-day conference, I must have called Chuck 10 times to check up on her."

"It was more like 30… the first night," He teased his sister as he handed a mug of coffee, doctored just the way she liked it to Sarah. "Good morning, beautiful," He greeted her as he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "How did you sleep?"

Ellie just rolled her eyes, "Oh would you cut it out, I know you two slept together last night. She has a kid, and I already know you're not a virgin. You're adults in an adult relationship, you don't have to hide that you're having sex, just so long as I don't have to see it."

"I had to listen to you and Awesome before I moved out," Chuck countered, "Turn about is fair play, big sister." When he saw the look from his girlfriend which was a mix of humor slightly laced with nervousness, "Not that we would intentionally… or that you could… I think I should just stop talking right about now."

"Probably a good idea," Ellie chuckled, amused at the twin blushes that graced the faces of her brother and his girlfriend. "I just came over to see if you two wanted to join us for lunch, or in your case brunch."

"As much as I would love to, Ellie, I have to get home, relieve my mom of babysitting duty," Sarah shook her head.

"I have some coding to do on the new project at work," Chuck shrugged.

"Some other time then," Ellie shrugged and turned to leave. She was almost to the door when she looked over her shoulder, "Don't forget to get your shirt or whatever it was out of the closet that Chuck threw it into." Grinning at the embarrassed looks on the younger couples faces, she exited, waiting until the door was closed behind her to let out a laugh at them.

"Why don't you go upstairs and get your stuff," Chuck suggested, "I'll bring our shirts upstairs."

"Okay," Sarah nodded, bounding up the stairs to pull on her socks and shoes before tossing her things back into her overnight bag. Just as she was pulling her gown out of Chuck's walk-in closet, he returned with her sweater and tossed it over her bag before tossing his into the hamper that sat next to his dresser. "Thanks," Sarah gave him a soft kiss as she laid the dress down on the bed to stuff her sweater into the bag and zip it up, "I guess that's it."

"I guess so," Chuck shrugged, only slightly surprised at how much he didn't want her to leave. He knew where he wanted the relationship to go, and was sure she was on the same page, but also knowing that if he were to ask her to move in with him, he would want them to find a place that would be 'theirs,' and be big enough to house their family in both it's current 3-person iteration, and any amendments to that number in the future. Chuck grabbed his keys as the duo made their way down to the first level and out to the car. The short ride to her mother's home was spent in casual conversation about their plans for the upcoming week and planning out another family outing for them and Molly.

Chuck was soon pulling into the driveway at Emma's house, he helped her pull her things from the car and walked her up to her door, "I'm glad we were able to spend some time together last night. I…"

Sarah smiled as she softly pressed her finger to his lips to silence the spiral she could sense coming, "It was one of the best night I ever had too," She rose up on her toes to press a soft kiss to his lips, "We should do it again some time."

"And by 'it' you mean the sex, right?" Chuck grinned cheekily at her.

"Yes, and the dancing, the wine, the watching a movie while we cuddle on the couch," She smiled up at him, "I'll see you next weekend?"

"Yeah," Chuck nodded, pulling her into his arms to kiss her, "I love you."

"I love you too," Sarah pulled out her keys and was just about to insert them into the door when it flew open.

"Good morning," Emma looked from the couple to her watch and back again, "Or should I say good afternoon?"

"Hey Mom," Sarah rolled her eyes at her mother's antics, "How was Molly?"

"An angel, as always," Emma assured her, "But I got to get going, they called me in, apparently they're short staffed in pediatrics today. I just put Molly down for a nap and told them I would come in as soon as you got home."

"Alright," Sarah nodded, "Well you can go, I officially release you from Grandma duty for the day. I'm sorry I was so late getting home."

"Oh, don't worry about that, I like being on Grandma duty." Emma assured her, "Did you two have a good night?"

"Yeah, but I missed Molly," Sarah admitted.

"That's bound to happen, but it's only natural that you would feel that way," Emma nodded, "Honestly, I would be concerned if you didn't. You still need some time to yourself or at least some adult time outside of work and the Phil. I'm more than happy to baby sit," She turned to Chuck, "You tell that sister of yours the same thing applies to her, if she and Devon ever need a night off or a break, I'm more than happy to watch little Clara."

"I will, thanks, Emma," Chuck nodded.

Emma gave them both a motherly smile, hugged them both and headed down to where her car was parked. Just as she stepped off the last stair between the porch and the ground, "Come to think, there's this wonderful winery in Napa that Bill and I used to go to. It would make a nice couples' weekend, maybe the four of you could go up while the weather is still good. I'd happily watch the girls."

"We'll keep that in mind," Chuck waived at her as she continued to her car.

"Sarah, honey, remind me to give you the info when I get home," With that she got in her car and drove away.

"When we get married, remind me to keep her and Ellie away from all the planning," Chuck murmured as he turned back to his girlfriend who was looking at him wide eyed. "Er, that is, if we ever, mutually, after much discussion, decided to take that step… together, that is."

Sara's look turned into a smile, "I think I have to agree when we get married, those two will be a force to be reckoned with if they are ever given the chance to partner up." She pressed a kiss to his lips, "And just so you know it will be when, I've loved you for too long to ever let you go. I just don't want to go too fast."

"I think last night kinda threw the idea of slow out the window," Chuck snickered as he pulled her into a hug, careful to not dislodge the bags she was still holding, "But I think we shouldn't rush into things."

"Agreed," Sarah nodded, "Someday in the not so distant future."

"Just not tomorrow," Chuck agreed.

"I think I can work with that," Sarah grinned and kissed him again before ducking into the house, "Bye, Chuck."

"Bye, Sarah." Chuck couldn't suppress the grin that split his face as he practically skipped down the steps to his car and drove home, visions of Sarah in a white dress fading into images of her standing in front of a house, hand on her slight distended stomach as she laughs at Molly playing with a puppy, her looking up at him while holding a bundle swaddled in a light blue blanket, all playing rapid-fire through his head as he drove. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts as the light turned green, he didn't notice the truck that had run the light until it was almost too late.


	11. Chapter 11

The screech of tires and the dull whump-thwack-crunch of the collision broke Chuck from his daydream in just enough time to hit his breaks. Looking around, the traffic that was moving in the same direction as him was at a complete stand still; no one was able to move. There was still some traffic inching by in one lane in the opposite direction and the cross traffic was still heeding the red light. He quickly dialed 9-1-1 as he hit the button for his flashers and quickly got out of the car to assess the scene as he called in the accident. Due to the years he spent helping his sister study for her premed, as well as the time he spent as a lifeguard, and never letting his enhanced first aid training lapse, he automatically began to perform a quick visual triage of the people in the two involved vehicles all the while speaking to the operator.

"9-1-1, what is your emergency?" The operator's voice came over the line a fraction of a second after Chuck had pressed the call button on his phone.

"Hi, my name is Chuck Bartowski and I am at the corner of Hollywood and Verdugo, there was a black F250 and a silver Miata involved in an accident. The truck ran the light and hit the car." Chuck reported, "I am currently approaching the vehicles to see if anyone needs assistance."

"Mr. Bartowski, my name his Rose, are you safe?" The operator inquired.

"Nice to meet you Rose, despite the circumstances. I am safe and am approaching the accident on the side where traffic is unable to pass," He explained as he approached the truck. He could see the stripe of silver along the front bumper and fender where the impact had occurred, the passenger door looked accessible, but due to the airbags, he was unable to see the occupants. "Hello in there, is everyone alright?"

"Ugh, it's just me in here, and I'm fine," Came a man's voice, "That damn car better not have damaged my truck, I just bought this thing."

"I am going to open the passenger door," Chuck explained as he pulled on the handle and looked inside. The man looked to be about his age, semi-muscular as if he had been a football player in high school, but had let himself go a bit since then. He had a bump on his forehead, and a bloody nose and bruised face from the impact of his face moving forward as the air bag's rapid inflation initiated. From what Chuck could see, that was the worst of the man's injuries. "Can you move?"

"Yeah, I can move," The man demonstrated by moving his arms and legs a bit partly to test their mobility and partly to prove that they could move.

"My name's Chuck, what's yours?" Chuck inquired as he heard and acknowledged the operator's stating that she was going to dispatch EMTs and police.

"Joe," The man spoke low.

"Nice to meet you, Joe," Chuck nodded, "Are you able to get out of the truck and sit on the sidewalk until the first responders can get here and check you out?"

"Yeah, I guess," Joe shrugged and slowly opened his door, stumbling out and over to the curb where he took a seat, plopping himself down heavily. Chuck watched him, not sure if the stumbling was due to a concussion or some kind of impairment. He decided he would let the EMTs figure it out when they arrived and headed toward the Miata. As he approached, he updated the operator, "So the driver of the truck said his name is Joe, as you could hear, I didn't ask for his last name. His injuries seem to be exclusively from the impact of the airbag to his face, but he was stumbling when he got out of the truck, but I don't know if it is due to the accident or another reason. I'm going to check on the driver of the car."

"Thank you Mr. Bartowski. The EMT's should be there soon, the fire station is right up the street."

"I think I can hear the sirens," He commented as he drew closer to the Miata, he realized the vehicle seemed familiar to him. The driver's side window was spiderwebbed and he could see medium length dirty blond hair leaned up against the window. As he got closer, he smelled coffee, and then saw the car seat in the rear bench seat. Dread began to coil itself low in his stomach. He knocked lightly on the window, which he noticed had some blood seeping into the cracks of the window, "Hello, can you hear me?"

A low groan could be heard on the other side of the glass, but no words were said. Chuck continued around to the front of the vehicle to see if he could see through the windshield which was also showing some stress fractures due to the driver door, fender, and windshield frame being bashed in. As he looked in, he gasped, "Oh my God. Um, Rose, I know the driver of he Miata, she works at Westside Medical…"

The EMTs had arrived, closely followed by the fire department's truck, and as one of them evaluated Joe, the other joined the firemen in assessing the car for the best way to access the driver in the car. The police showed up soon after, and once Chuck had confirmed that the first responders had arrived and thanked Rose for her assistance, he turned to the police and told them what happened. All the while, he played with the phone in his hand as he continued to watch the extraction of the Miata's driver from the vehicle. He watched as the car's driver was placed onto a gurney and loaded into the ambulance. He also noticed that Joe had been cleared and, after speaking with one of the policemen and submitting to a field sobriety test, had been placed in the back seat of the sergeant's SUV.

"Um, excuse me," Chuck stopped one of the paramedics, a young woman with auburn hair pulled up in a ponytail that stuck out of the back of her baseball cap. "What hospital are you taking her to?"

"Westside," The paramedic informed him, "Are you family?"

"Kind of," Chuck gave her a small smile, and handed her the driver's information which he'd quickly written down on a receipt he'd found in his car after the police had finished with him.

"Thank you," The woman accepted the piece of paper and, once her partner had closed the doors and nodded that they were ready to go, turned to get into the vehicle for the short drive to the hospital.

Chuck watched as the ambulance pulled away and walked back to his car. The traffic in his lane had already been directed to a detour, leaving his car as the sole vehicle aside from the emergency vehicles and the tow trucks that had shown up to take the involved vehicles once the investigation had been wrapped up. Disengaging his flashers, he turned his car on again and backed up to turn around, but not before activating the hands-free calling in his car. "Hey Elle, are you or Awesome on ER rotation?"

"I was called in not too long after I left your condo. I really can't talk because we just got notified of an incoming," Ellie responded.

"Elle, you know the person coming in, just don't freak out." Chuck informed her, "I'll be there in a little bit."

"Chuck, you're scaring me." Ellie sighed, "Are Sarah and Molly okay, is Clara?"

"Yeah, they're all fine, at least for now," Chuck explained, "I have to go, I'll see you when I get there."

"Okay, little brother," Ellie sounded a little perplexed but had to go anyhow as the ambulance had just arrived and she had to meet the EMT's for the pass-off.

Chuck disconnected the call and hit another speed dial number, the phone rang once before the cheerful voice answered, "Sarah, get Molly and put her in her car seat." He instructed, not giving her time to question his directions, "I'm on my way there, be in the passenger seat with the engine running when I get there. There's been an accident."


	12. Chapter 12

When Chuck disconnected, Sarah stood staring at the phone in her hand in shock. An accident is all he said aside from the fact he wanted her and Molly to be in the car waiting for him to arrive. He was clearly in a hurry and wanted to be able to drive, but not have to wait on the time it would take to move Molly's car seat from her car to his. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach who might have been in the accident, there were only a few that would require her to join him at the hospital, and all of them might be on duty today, but only one of whom would make it difficult for her to… "Oh my God," She gasped, reality hitting her.

She tried to hold in her tears as fear and panic began to wash over her. She tried to tamp down her reaction as she mechanically went through the motions of checking Molly's diaper bag, grabbing and bagging up snacks for the toddler, getting said toddler from her room where she was napping, and looping her pure over her shoulder. Thankfully, Molly did not awaken as she was transferred to her car seat as dealing with a grumpy two-year-old on top of everything else would be just too much at the moment. She gently and securely closed the rear passenger door before swinging around to the driver's side to start the ignition. Once the car was started, she climbed over the console to the passenger's seat. She saw Chuck's Aston Martin swing into the driveway to park in what was normally her mother's parking space. She fastened her seatbelt as Chuck turned off his car, got out, set the alarm, and walked over to her Corsica to climb in.

"Ready to go?" He asked, his gaze quickly sweeping over her and then over their shoulders to ensure that Molly's straps were all buckled before backing out of the driveway.

"Chuck?" Sarah inquired after they had been driving a few minutes. The sound of his name carrying all the questions she wanted to ask of him.

He sighed as they pulled to stop at a lit intersection, he had deliberately taken another route so she wouldn't have to see her mother's totaled car. "I was heading home, and your mom must have stopped for coffee as we wound up at the same intersection at the same time. The light turned green, but a truck ran the light and t-boned her."

He saw Sarah's hand go up to her mouth as she tried to stifle the whimper that escaped her lips as tears began to fall from both their eyes. He reached out and took her hand securely in his own. "I called it in right way, but I think she hit her head in the accident. She still wasn't conscious when they loaded her into the ambulance. I called Ellie before I called you. She was called in not too long before I took you home and she's the one who caught your mom's case, or at least that's what it sounded like when I was on the phone with her. She is probably the best person to have on ER rotation for this, she was top in her neurology fellowship."

Sarah simply nodded, her hand flexing in his as she absorbed his strength into herself. When the light changed, they drove a few more minutes before she spoke again. "Thank you for being there." She whispered.

"It was pure luck, right time, right place." Chuck shook his head, "I'm just glad I was there."

The rest of the drive to the hospital was in silence. He pulled into the first space he could find and sent Sarah on ahead to get information from the receptionist as he collected Molly. Sarah nodded and, grabbing her purse, headed into the ER as Chuck efficiently and gently removed the still sleeping Molly from her car seat and hoisted her in his arms to rest on his shoulder while he grabbed her diaper bag and slung it over his shoulder. He locked the car and quickly made his way across the parking lot to join his girlfriend.

"I'm sorry Ma'am," He could hear the receptionist, an older woman in dull purple scrubs, talking to his very distraught girlfriend, "We cannot release information on a patient until their immediate family has been notified."

"But I am her immediate family," Sarah protested, "I'm her daughter!"

The receptionist looked confused, "The police said that they received no response at the address or phone number for her emergency contact."

"Um, that would have been my fault," Chuck approached, "I was present at the accident and probably got to her before the police could."

"And you are?" The woman arched her eyebrow.

"Chuck Bartowski," Chuck started.

"My fiancé," Sarah finished, just in case Ellie wasn't the doctor who was treating her mother, "And our daughter, Molly."

"Bartowski?" The older woman arched her eyebrow, "Are you related to the Woodcombs?"

"My sister and brother-in-law," Chuck confirmed, "Now could you please just give us any paperwork that needs to be processed and direct us to the proper waiting area?"

The woman just stared at him a moment longer before collecting the admission and insurance forms that would need to be filled out and handed them to Sarah, "Surgery waiting room is down that hall there, second door on the right. There is a smaller office labeled 'family consultation,' you can wait in there for the doctor to come see you."

"Thank you," Chuck looked at the ID badge around the woman's neck, "Beatrice, we appreciate your assistance." He then placed his free hand on Sarah's lower back and guided her to the room. Once the door to the consultation room closed behind them, Sarah quietly took a seat and focused on filling out the information she could.

"I don't know her insurance information," She spoke softly.

"Leave anything you don't know blank," Chuck advised, settling in the seat next to her as Molly continued to sleep in his arms, "If nothing else, the hospital's HR department will have the insurance information for her."

Sarah nodded and continued working on the forms. As she was finishing up, Molly began to stir, her blue eyes blinking slowly as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings, "Mama?"

"Hey baby girl," Sarah cooed.

"Where Grammy?" The little girl asked.

"Grammy got hurt," Chuck explained, "Auntie Ellie is helping her right now." He looked at his girlfriend for confirmation that she was okay with him referring to his sister that way and was given a nod and a sad smile. Molly seemed to accept this and snuggled into Chuck's chest from where she sat on his lap.

Chuck held Molly with one arm while his other hand held Sarah's gently brushing his thumb over her knuckles and the back of her hand in small, soothing, circles. She had just rested her head on his shoulder when a knock sounded on the door and a doctor with their long hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing blue scrubs entered the room. "Hey guys," She spoke warmly as she pulled up a chair and sat across from them, giving Molly small waive.

"Ellie, oh thank God," Sarah sighed in relief, "I'm guessing you got her when she got in; is she okay?"

"She is as well as can be expected," Ellie gave them a confident nod, "She's pretty banged up from the accident. Her left arm is broken, and her hip and shoulder are pretty bruised from the impact. She also hit her head pretty hard, she did wake up for a little bit but was lethargic, not unusual in cases of concussion. We are waiting for her MRI to come back to make sure there isn't any other damage we need to be concerned about."

"Can I see her?" Sarah inquired.

"She had to have surgery to set her arm and is still in recovery, but she should be ready to be transported into a room in about an hour; you can see her then." Ellie informed them.

"When can we take her home?" The younger woman asked

"We would like to keep her for at least 24 hours for observation," Ellie explained, "But how long we actually will keep her is entirely dependent on the results from her MRI and other factors. She did hit her head pretty hard on the window, so that could cause some issues as well. With any luck, all she'll need is time."

"Okay," Sarah nodded, "Thank you, Ellie, for everything."

"Don't thank me," She shook her head, "Thank that brother of mine, if he hadn't been there and called in emergency services so quickly, your mom's prognosis might have been worse, especially if the accident was compounded by rubberneckers causing even more accidents in the area."

There was a knock on the door of the consultation room, when Ellie answered, an orderly stepped in, followed by a couple official looking people, a heavyset black man in uniform who looked a little like Chuck's old boss, and a tall thin black woman who looked to be in her early to mid-40's.

"Good afternoon," The woman spoke, "I'm sorry to be interrupting you in such a difficult time. I know the last thing you want to be doing when a loved one is in the hospital is answering a bunch of questions, but it is sadly necessary. My name is Detective Judy Hoffs, and this is Sargent Powell."

"It's nice to meet you," Sarah nodded at the two police officers, "What can we do for you?"

"I know Mr. Bartowski from the accident scene, thank you, young man, for your quick action by the way," Sargent Powell started, when he received a nod of acknowledgement, he continued, "Am I to understand that you are also the victim's family?"

"Well, she is," Chuck nodded toward Sarah, who had been squeezing his hand in a random pulse since the two police officers entered, "The little one here is, Sarah is Emma's daughter, and little Molly is her granddaughter."

"I thought the receptionist said that you were engaged?" Detective Hoffs gave them a questioning look which was only matched by Ellie's 'Oh, we are so going to talk about this later,' look from where she stood just over the officer's shoulders.

"Well, erm, that's not entirely true," Sarah spoke up, "At least not fully. I think I can safely say we are moving in that general-ish direction?" She looked to Chuck for confirmation who gave her a loving smile and nod.

"I would say that's a fair assessment," He agreed then turned to where his sister stood, "Sorry Elle, you can't break out your planning books just yet."

Detective Hoffs turned toward the young doctor behind her, "You know these two?"

"Yeah, I am Chuck's older sister," Ellie nodded, "And I work with Sarah's mom here at the hospital."

Detective Hoffs nodded in understanding before turning back to the younger couple. "You two sure have connections, from what I heard Dr. Woodcomb is one of the top surgeons in the country, especially at her age."

"Actually, that's her husband, sorry Elle," Chuck pointed out with an apologetic look to his older sister, "She's a close second in surgery, but she is one of the top ranked neurologists in the nation. The latter of which is a bit more beneficial to have on Emma's team."

"Agreed," Detective Hoffs nodded, "Well we do have some things you need to know."

"First of all," Sargent Powell spoke up, "The driver of the truck, a," He consulted his notes, "Joseph Davies, failed his field sobriety test and has been placed under arrest for DUI and reckless driving, at least for the time being."

Sarah nodded as she took in all the information she had heard from the officers as well as from Ellie in such a short span of time. "Is there anything we can or need to do on my mom's behalf?"

"It would probably be a good idea to retain a lawyer," Detective Hoffs recommended, "Normally we don't recommend firms, but my former colleague's nephew, Clavo, graduated UCLA Law, top of his class, and is now working at Firth, Wynn, and Meyer. He doesn't usually do personal injury, he's more civil right and immigration, but he's taken injury cases before. I can get you his number, if you would like."

Sarah looked at Chuck in question, "What could it hurt?" He shrugged and replied softly.

"We'd appreciate that very much," Sarah nodded, even if this Clavo guy couldn't help them, he might be able to suggest someone who could. The women shared a brief smile before Detective Hoffs pulled out her phone, notepad, and a pen.

Sarah watched as the older woman scrolled through her contacts before jotting a number down on the notepad and ripping the sheet out, handing it to her. The slip red Clavo Villanueva Penhall (818)555-4593. When Sarah saw the name, she gave the woman a questioning look.

"I know the name seems a little odd," Detective Hoffs shrugged, "There's a long story, but the short version is that his uncle brought him here from El Salvador to escape the violence almost 20 years ago and later adopted him."

"That makes sense, I guess," Chuck nodded, "And you're sure he'll take a personal injury case?"

"If you tell him I referred you, he'll take your case, or if he can't, he'll make sure you get matched with the best counsel available." Detective Hoffs gave them a reassuring smile. "Well, I think we are done here, unless you have something for them, Al?"

"Nope, nothing here," The man shook his head, "Besides, I'm meeting my cousin Michael for lunch, and I don't want to be late. We're trying a new Subway Fresh Fit sandwich today. I just hope that Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki tastes as good as it sounds."

Detective Hoffs barely restrained her eye roll. It was pretty well known around the station that Al and his cousin, a manager at a local box store, were obsessed with Subway and met up for lunch every day to partake of the Fresh Fit menu. She tapped the rotund man on the shoulder and nodded toward the door indicating that it was time for them to leave. Before following him out, she turned back to Chuck and Sarah and handed them a card. "If you need anything else, here is my card, it's got my office number and my cell if you need to reach me."

"Thank you," Sarah smiled up at her, "We really appreciate all that you do."

Detective Hoffs blushed slightly and gave a thankful nod for the compliment before following the large Sargent in exiting the emergency ward. Ellie followed the officers out after letting Sarah and Chuck know that she was going to check up on Emma's status.

* * *

When Ellie returned, she found Sarah sitting by herself in the waiting room, reading a magazine. "Where are Chuck and Molly?"

"Molly was getting a little antsy being cooped up," Sarah shrugged, "So Chuck took her for a walk around the atrium garden to get her wiggles out."

Ellie snorted and shook her head at Sarah's curious look, "Oh don't mind me," Ellie snickered, "You just reminded me of when Clara was a little younger than Molly, Chuck insisted on digging out our old VHS tapes from when we were kids and transferring them to DVD for her. We wound up watching the same two Raffi concerts multiple times over, 'Shake My Sillies Out,' was a fan favorite in our house, especially amid the curly headed crowd."

"Namely Chuck and Clara," Sarah filled in.

"Oh yeah," Ellie smiled and rolled her eyes, "He still will play some of the songs for her, but she's starting to get more into Disney now. I should warn you that if you guys make this a permanent thing, which, if I'm not mistaken, is something you are both amenable to, he will likely start to indoctrinate Molly into the music of the great Raffi."

"I am duly warned," Sarah chuckled, "I take it that you had another reason to come in other than to discuss the musical proclivities of our children and your brother?"

"Yeah," Ellie nodded, "Your mom is out of recovery and is in her own room now, if you want to go visit her. She's in room 305."

"Thanks, Elle," Sarah gave the older woman a hug, "I'll go up and see her in a minute, once I let Chuck know what's going on."

"Let me guess, the walk in the atrium was your idea?" Ellie gave her a knowing look.

"Maybe a little," Sarah shrugged.

"I understand," Ellie nodded, a small smile on her face, "You want to see how she looks so you can prepare Molly."

"Yeah," Sarah gave her an unsure look.

"I don't blame you," Ellie placed a gentle hand on the younger woman's shoulder, "I would do the same thing if the situation was reversed. Why don't you go see your mom, and I'll go find Chuck?"

"Okay," Sarah nodded, "How is she doing?"

"From what I can tell, her prognosis is good," Ellie advised, "She's a little beaten up, and we are just waiting until more of her sedatives wear off to finish our cognitive checks, but I don't anticipate much if any trouble there."

"She does have a hard head sometimes," Sarah chuckled.

"Which isn't entirely a bad thing," Ellie snickered, "I've seen her put a few doctors, deservedly, in their place. Not to mention, her stubborn determination will aid her in getting back on her feet faster, which is a very good thing in my book."

"Agreed," Sarah smiled, "So, how do I get to her room?"

"Tell you what, how about I take you before I go hunt down my brother?" Ellie suggested.

"Sounds good," Sarah nodded, "Lead the way."


	13. Chapter 13

The elevator ride and walk to Emma's room was fairly short considering the sheer size of Westside Medical. When the women arrived, Ellie knocked lightly on the door and slowly opened it, checking to see if Emma was awake. "Hey, Emma," She smiled at the older woman who was conscious, if not a little groggy from the anesthesia, "I brought a visitor with me."

Ellie stepped aside to allow Sarah to follow her into the room. Sarah took in her mom laying in the bed, a bruise on the left side of her face, including a black eye, her left arm in a cast which looked to already bear a few signatures, no doubt from the medical team who worked on and with her. She made her way to the right side of the bed and took a seat in the chair that was there, taking her mom's hand in her own, careful to not bump the IV attached to the older woman's forearm. "Hey Mom," She smiled softly at her.

"Hey, there's my beautiful little girl," Emma sighed, squeezing Sarah's hand slightly, "Where's my other girl?"

"Chuck has her, I wanted to make sure you were okay before I had him bring her in," Sarah gave a small shrug.

"I'm going to go get them from the atrium in a minute, but first I have to check you out, Emma." Ellie added, walking to the other side of the bed and using the remote to adjust it so that Emma was sitting, but in a slightly reclined position as opposed to laying down as she was when the younger women entered. Ellie made quick work of consulting Emma's chart for her most recent vital stats, satisfied that it looked as if the CNA had just left a few minutes before their arrival and had notated all the vital information. She then proceeded to check Emma's cognitive function and checked the dilation of the older woman's eyes to help rule out a severe concussion. Once she was done, she stepped back, notating her findings on Emma's charts, and putting the file back in the holder next to the door of the room before making her report.

"Alright, first off, Emma, are you okay with Sarah hearing what I have to say?" Ellie looked to Emma, who simply nodded in response, "Good, so, we should have your MRI back shortly to get a more complete picture of what is going on in that head of yours, but from what I'm seeing you aren't too bad off. You knocked your head against the glass pretty good, and you have a mild concussion, but that should resolve itself within the next few days. You will want to take it easy getting around, your whole left side is pretty banged up from the impact so your whole side is going to be pretty sore for a while as you heal. You suffered hairline fractures on both your ulna and radius, so you will need to wear the cast for a bit, luckily you are right-handed, so once we clear you to work, it shouldn't impact you too much."

"How long will she need to be out of work?" Sarah asked.

"Assuming nothing concerning comes up from her MRI, I would say a week, maybe two," Ellie shrugged, "Long enough to recover from the concussion and be able to move around without too much trouble."

"And just when will I be able to go home?" Emma looked up at the doctor.

"We want to keep you overnight for observation, so tomorrow mid-day at the earliest," Ellie advised them, "I don't anticipate needing to keep you here longer than that."

"Is there anything else I need to know?" Emma inquired.

"Just the usual stuff, if you start getting super painful headaches or frequent dizzy spells, call me or have Sarah bring you by, keep your cast dry, and let yourself relax and heal." Ellie's directions were not terribly surprising to Emma who had expected as much. "I know they have jokes about medical staff being the worst patients, but seriously, before you go back to work, I have to clear you. I'll do a home visit for you when you think you might be up to it, as I don't want you driving until I've cleared you, either."

"No chance of that happening," Emma snorted, "I'm almost scared to ask how my car is."

"The cops really didn't say anything about the condition of your car," Sarah shook her head, "It was more complimenting Chuck on how quickly he reacted to the accident. Apparently, he was a lane over from you and saw the whole thing."

Ellie cut into their conversation briefly to excuse herself and go get Chuck and Molly to bring them up. Once the ladies nodded their understanding, she slipped out and allowed them to finish their conversation.

"I thought I was dreaming that…" Emma murmured, "You know how your brain plays tricks on you, especially when you're scared. I thought because I was in fight or flight mode that I had heard a familiar voice rather than the actual voice of the first responder who responded to the accident."

"Chuck was first on the scene and made sure you and the other driver were okay," Sarah informed her, "The other driver was drunk and ran the red light. The detective who came by while you were in recovery gave us the number for a good personal injury lawyer." When I looked like her mother was going to protest, Sarah cut her off, "I know how you feel about people being overly litigious, Mom. However, the fact of the matter is that, in this instance, it's necessary. He's at fault, so his insurance needs to cover your medical bills, lost wages, and the cost of replacing your car. If what Chuck told me is true, your car will likely be totaled."

"I understand what you are saying, but isn't that a little petty?" Emma protested.

"No, mom," Sarah shook her head, "Even if he's never driven drunk in his life up until this point, the fact of the matter is that he was drunk and caused a potentially deadly accident. You were very lucky. If he had been going any faster or you had been further into the intersection when he hit you, you might not be around for us to have this conversation. He is responsible for his actions; he's already being charged with reckless endangerment. I'm not sure if that will come with any jail time or not, or just a fine; I'm not familiar with the penalties here for such a charge. Either way, it doesn't matter, either he or his insurance need to take care of your bills at the very least. I don't like it any more than you do, but sometimes it's necessary."

"Okay, fine," Emma nodded, "We can see if this lawyer you were referred to will take the case, will that make you happy?"

"Not so much happy as satisfied that it is the first step in making sure you get the aftercare and assistance you need." Sarah countered.

"Knock, knock," A warm voice came from the door as it slowly opened, revealing Chuck who walked in, with Molly on his hip and Ellie behind him.

"Grammy!" Molly shouted excitedly, causing Emma to wince a little, her response mirrored in a lesser degree by the other adults in the room.

"Sweetie, remember what we talked about in the garden?" Ellie got the little girl's attention, "Your Grammy hit her head really hard and it's making her head hurt so we need to use our inside voices, okay?"

"'Kay Auntie Ellie," Molly nodded, her blond pigtails bouncing with the motion.

"We also need to be very gentle with Grammy," Chuck added as they walked toward the bed that was now the focal point of the room, "She has a lot of boo-boos from her accident. You can sit on the bed and hold her hand or give her a gentle hug."

Molly nodded again then looked toward her grandma, "Kiss?"

"Of course, Sweetheart, I would love a kiss," Emma smiled as she watched Chuck set her granddaughter down on the bed and the little girl carefully crawl up along her right side, careful to not bump her. When she got closer, she slowly leaned over and placed a kiss on her grandma's cheek.

"Love you, Grammy," Molly told her, "Sorry you got boo-boos. Kiss and make better?"

"Maybe later, Baby," Emma cooed, "Right now Grammy is a little sleepy so I'm going to take a little nap. Did you remember to tell Mr. Chuck thank you for playing with you while Mommy and Grammy talked?"

"Yes'm" Molly beamed, proud she remembered to use the manners her Grammy had started to teach her. She saw her grandmother's eyes start to droop as the older woman started to nod off, so Molly gave her another kiss on her cheek, "Night, night," She whispered before crawling back to Chuck, "Up, please."

Chuck simply smiled and picked up the little girl. Standing quietly to the side as he watched as Sarah held her mother's hand and Ellie quickly adjusted the bed so that Emma was in a position a little more comfortable for the snooze she was about to take. He heard Sarah and Ellie discussing something quietly, and figured it had to do with Emma's accident, treatment, and what to expect during the stay and after Emma was released. Once Emma had fallen asleep, Ellie smiled at the young couple and advised them that Emma would likely be in and out for the rest of the day as her body needed sleep to help her to recover from her injuries and that the best thing they could do is go home and relax, maybe come back after dinner to visit a little more and say good night.

Sarah reluctantly acquiesced to Ellie's suggestion, not really wanting to leave her mother's side, but knowing full well there was really nothing she could do other than sit around and watch her mother rest. Besides, as patient and calm as Molly had been thus far, there's only so much boredom a little girl can take. Since it was quickly approaching dinner time, Chuck suggested they go to the local burger stand. Not only would it be a quick, simple, and rare treat for Molly, but it also had a play area in which Molly could entertain herself.

After exchanging a round of hugs with Ellie and receiving direction on where the best place to park was upon their return, the small quasi family unit made their way back down to the Emergency department and out to Sarah's car. Chuck, who still held Molly, opened Sarah's door for her and then proceeded to strap Molly into her own seat. A few minutes later found them pulling into the brightly painted and decorated fast food joint. Molly of course started getting excited as she recognized the cartoonish characters painted on the windows of the establishment.

Since Sarah and Molly were both seated on the same side of the car, Sarah made quick work of releasing Molly from the buckles and straps that held her secure in her seat. Boosting the little girl onto her hip, she joined Chuck to walk into the restaurant. The adults conferred over the order before Sarah went to take a seat next to the indoor play structure while Chuck placed their order. By the time Chuck had ordered, paid, and received a metal stand with a number on it, Sarah had already divested Molly of her shoes and the little girl was quickly crawling through the maze of tunnels and tubes. Before long, she'd made a friend and the two giggled joyfully as they continued to explore.

Chuck soon joined Sarah at her table, setting the number stand on the edge of the table and sliding in next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and letting her relax into him as they watched Molly and her new friend playing. Their food hadn't taken long to prepare and before they knew it a teenager in a loudly colored uniform came bearing a tray with two burger combos with fries and sodas as well as a box with the same cartoon characters the restaurant was known for beside which sat a small box of apple juice. He set down the tray and offered them condiments before collecting the order number and making his way back to the counter to collect and deliver the next guests' orders.

Sarah quickly found a highchair, as Molly was still a little too small for a booster just yet and brought it over to the table as Chuck distributed their food. It was at that moment that they heard a whimper coming from the play structure. Looking over, they could see though the plastic bubble window of a section that housed a slide that Molly, with a fearful look on her face, was crying as her little friend patted her shoulder trying to calm her. The adults shared a look before Chuck went into action, kicking off his shoes and heading toward the play structure. How he was able to not only fit his long frame into the slide and climb up it in stocking feet was beyond Sarah, but before she knew it giggles of two small children as well as the hearty laugh of a grown man could be heard echoing in the large plastic tube.

Sarah couldn't help but smile at how quickly Chuck had calmed Molly down and extracted her and her friend from the play structure by sliding down, both children held securely in his lap. The laugh that escaped her lips when she saw not only her daughter's fine blond hair, but Chucks dark curls standing on end from the static electricity generated from their adventures in the play structure was something she had desperately been needing since the moment Chuck called her and told her in the most serious tone she'd heard in their few months long relationship that there had been an accident and she and Molly needed to be ready to go upon his return. She watched as he gently explained to Molly's friend that it was time for Molly to eat now and gave them a high-five before scooping Molly up in his arms and carrying her over to the table, quickly sliding her into the highchair before taking a seat between Molly and Sarah and the table.

She couldn't help but wonder as she watched Chuck and her daughter interact, for the millionth time since they'd run into each other again, if this was how her life was going to be from now on. A small smile graced her lips as she chewed on her burger as she imagined a similar scene, only Molly was a little older, blonde hair pulled back in pig tails as she spoke quickly about something or another that had happened at school as Chuck grinned at her, asking her questions and encouraging her to keep telling her story as he also helped another child, one with dark curly hair, eat their meal as an overwhelming sense of peace and love flowed over and around them. She found that she rather liked and looked forward to the day her daydream became a reality and knew, in that moment, that she was ready for it, just as soon as he was.

Chuck looked over from arranging Molly's food in front of her and placing the straw in her juice box to find Sarah, a warm smile on her lips, eyes looking toward them, but slightly unfocused as if seeing another reality. He wondered if she was imagining the same thing he'd been finding himself imagining quite often as of late. A future with them, Molly, and another little one with dark hair and bright blue eyes, sometimes he saw a dog too, a spaniel or a lab, but no matter what form the hazy premonition took, it always involved the three of them and an addition that was the best of the two of them. He'd known for a while that she was 'it' for him but struggled with whether or not it was too soon. They'd only been back in each other's lives for a few months and he didn't want to scare her off by going too fast.

Suddenly, and idea came to him. Her birthday was coming up in a few weeks, he would take her to dinner and give her his mother's charm bracelet. Depending on how well the jewelry would be received would inform his next move, namely co-opting his sister for a day of shopping that he'd only done one other time in his life, but hopefully with a better result. Of course, this would be quickly followed by a covert visit with another prominent blond in their lives. Satisfied in this plan, he set to enjoying his own food, reaching over and giving Sarah a light squeeze of her hand to bring her back to reality.

Once everyone was finished eating, and Molly had been cleaned up, the trio returned to the hospital where Molly proceeded to show her grammy the new toy she'd gotten with her meal. As it was already past the little girl's bed time, the visit was brief, a quick good night, hugs, and kisses all around before they departed once again for the Walker home where the adults worked in concert to quickly bathe, change, and dress the little girl before singing her to sleep and laying her in her crib to rest for the night. It had been a long day for the both of them, and Sarah wasn't feeling up to being alone, so after sharing a glass of wine, the two quietly made their way back to Sarah's room and passed out. Each dreaming of what their future would hold.


	14. Chapter 14

Chuck awoke slowly in the early morning haze to the feel of something warm and soft pressed up against him. It only took a moment for the confusion over where he'd woken up to clear as he recognized the soft blond waves of his girlfriend. He propped his head up on his hand and watched her sleep for a brief moment, smiling at how peaceful she looked. A soft whimper then caught his attention as he noticed the lights on the monitor by the bed flicker slightly. He listened for a bit to see if Molly would go back to sleep, but it was very soon apparent that she was up.

Careful to not wake Sarah, he gently disengaged himself from her, slowly sliding out of the bed and pulling on his jeans before walking down the hall in bare feet toward Molly's room. Opening the door, he saw her standing up in her crib, gripping the side. "G'morning Sweetpea," He cooed, approaching Molly who gave him a slightly confused look. "Yeah, I know it's kinda weird seeing me here first thing in the morning, huh?" When she lifted her arms to him, he picked her up, resting her on his hip as she nuzzled her face into his neck. "Let's get your diaper changed and we're going to let your mommy sleep while we get some breakfast. Are you hungry, Moll?"

Molly nodded against his neck but didn't say a word as he made quick work of changing her diaper before lifting her back into her original position in his arms and carrying her into the kitchen. Happy to let her play monkey baby for a bit longer, he made the coffee one handed. While that was brewing, he quickly took inventory of what was available to eat for breakfast. He found some Cheerios in the pantry as well as milk and a banana in the fridge. Pulling a couple bowls from the cabinet next to the sink, he poured some cheerios in the smaller bowl which had been decorated with the image of a princess and set it aside while he made quick work of peeling the banana with his teeth since Molly still was cradled by his other arm. Pulling the fruit from its peel, he laid it on a nearby cutting board and pulled a knife out of the drawer to slice it into small enough disks for the little girl.

Once Molly's breakfast was put together, he carried her into the dining room and placed her in her highchair before doubling back to the kitchen to return with her bowl of cereal, her chopped banana, and a sippy cup of milk. Molly gave him a soft "'tank you," and set to enjoying her breakfast while he got his own bowl of Cheerios and a cup of coffee. The pair ate in the relative quiet of the morning, both still a little sleepy due to the early hour of the day.

As they were finishing up, Sarah came stumbling out of the bedroom, blond hair softly rumpled, the belt of her robe untied, leaving the garment open to reveal the boy shorts and t-shirt she'd worn the night before, the fluffy slippers on her feet completed the image and Chuck couldn't help but smile at how adorable she looked. She quickly poured and doctored her coffee before joining them in the dining room where she finally noticed the goofy grin on her boyfriend's face, "What?"

"Nothin'," He shrugged, "You're just cute when you first wake up."

"You lie like a rug, but thank you," She gave him a loving smile, "And thank you for getting Molly her breakfast, you didn't have to do that."

"I thought I'd let you sleep," Chuck gave her a small smile, "Besides I don't plan on ever letting you, both of you, go. At some point I would have to figure out the care and feeding of the Walker Women, both the miniature and full-grown versions, why not start now?" His smile turned into a cheeky grin.

"You can put that away already," She rolled her eyes at his antics, "You know come nap time you're so getting lucky."

"I am?" He asked coyly, "News to me."

"Oh, please," She chuckled into her coffee cup before taking a sip, letting the caffeine infuse her body.

"I do need to go home and change at some point," He pointed out as he stood to clear his dishes and Molly's, who was done eating and was just smushing banana bits in her fingers and across the tray of the highchair. He returned with a bowl of cereal for Sarah as well as a washcloth to clean Molly off with, "Okay, Sweetpea, you can go on and play before we have to get you dressed."

The adults watched as Molly quickly made her way to her toy bin and pulled out a few toys to play with before going back to their conversation. "I should probably call the hospital, too, to see if Mom is going to be discharged today."

"Do you want me to stick around until you do? Maybe long enough for you to get a shower and dressed?" He offered, "Not that you smell or anything… I mean… I just…"

Sarah couldn't help but snicker at her boyfriend tripping over his words, "I knew what you meant, and it would be super helpful if you could keep and eye on Molly while I make myself a little more presentable."

"Well, if you are looking for presentable, you can just lose the clothes," He gave her a cocky grin.

"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" She teased, scooping a spoonful of cheerios into her mouth as Chuck vigorously nodded his head. "Well, maybe I can model the latest designs from the Naked Emperor's closet later for you, but for now, I think actual clothes that won't get me arrested for public indecency are more suited to today's non-bedroom activities, wouldn't you say?"

"You're no fun," He mock pouted.

"Oh, I'm plenty of fun, or do you not remember the night of the concert?" Sarah gave him a cheeky grin as she finished her breakfast and went to the kitchen to rinse out her bowl and place their breakfast dishes into the dishwasher.

"I definitely remember that," He smiled widely, not even bothering to hide the fact his eyes were skimming her form, remembering the way she looked with nothing but the sheets of his bed to cover her.

"Horndog," She teased, "I'm going to go take a shower really quick so you can get back to your place to change."

"Sounds good," Chuck nodded and watched as she made her way down the hall.

A short time later, Molly seemed to have grown bored of her toys, so he took her into her bedroom and got her dressed for the day in a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt that matched her eyes that were so much like her mother's. He had just finished putting socks on the little girl when he heard the door of the bathroom open. "Thank you, again, I could have gotten her dressed."

"It was no big deal," Chuck shrugged, picking Molly up, "Figured it would save you a little time."

"Well, I really appreciate it, and all you have done for us the past couple days," Sarah lifted up on her toes to press a soft kiss to his cheek, which not only caused Chuck to blush but Molly to clap her hands in joy.

"Mama kiss!" She shrieked.

"Oh, do you want a kiss too?" She smiled at the little girl as Chuck handed her over to her. She blew a raspberry in Molly's neck causing her to squeal in delight.

"Daddy kiss!" The little girl demanded, not noticing the adults pause and share a silent conversation before Chuck grinned easily at the little girl.

"You certainly are demanding this morning, little miss," He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek before kissing Sarah's cheek in the same manner. "I won't be very long, just gotta take a quick shower, change, and I'll be back before you know it."

"Okay," Sarah nodded, her voice quiet, still processing the fact that Molly had referred to Chuck as her father as the man in question made his exit. She was a little surprised that Chuck easily accepted it, but what was really surprising was how okay she was with him bearing the moniker in her little girl's life. Sure, she'd hoped that someday Molly would consider him her dad, but she had always thought it would be a long time coming, maybe after they'd gotten married or had another kid together.

"Mama love Daddy?" Molly broke her of her musings.

"Yeah, Mommy loves Daddy very much," Sarah assured the little girl as she carried her into the living room and turned on the TV to let Molly watch Sesame Street while she called the hospital for an update on her mother's condition.

* * *

True to his word, Chuck returned an hour later, freshly showered, and carrying an overnight bag as well as a laptop case with him, explaining it was just in case they needed him to stay over again. He didn't want them to think he was presuming anything but carried his bags into Sarah's room anyhow. Sarah informed him that the nurse she had spoken to had stated that Emma was scheduled to be discharged that afternoon once Ellie gave her the all-clear. Nothing had come up on the CAT scan, but Ellie had been rather insistent on having a full 24 hours of observation before releasing her patient.

Not wanting to go to the hospital and be underfoot just yet, the trio opted to go to a local park and enjoy the mild fall morning as a family. Neither Chuck nor Sarah brought up Molly's words from earlier that day, mutually choosing to just let her call him what she wanted as they both knew that eventually the name would truly become his. Once Molly had sufficiently tired herself out climbing over and around the play structure under the watchful eyes of her parents, even involving them in going down the slide or on the swings at one point or another, they made their way back to the Walker home for lunch.

As soon as Molly was down for her nap, which didn't take more than Chuck holding her in his arms as he softly sang to her, the adults quietly made their way to Sarah's room to enjoy their own adult nap time. They even drifted off themselves in each other's arms but still managed to be up and dressed again by the time Molly woke up.

Once Molly was changed, Sarah had packed a bag of clothes for her mother, and Chuck called his sister to verify Emma's discharge time, they loaded up in Sarah's car with Chuck driving again. Thankfully the traffic wasn't bad, for L.A. and they were able to arrive at Westside within 20 minutes. Ellie saw them as they walked past her office and decided to walk up with them so that she didn't have to repeat the discharge instructions she was about to give to Emma.

"Good Afternoon, Emma," Ellie smiled warmly at the older woman, "Ready to get out of here?"

"You have no idea," Emma huffed, "Let me tell you it's no fun being on the other side of all this."

"We're just glad you weren't hurt worse than a bump on the head, a few bruises, and the broken arm," Ellie shrugged before handing the paperwork in her hands to Sarah, who began to look over the instructions as the doctor explained about the medication she was prescribing to help with the pain associated with the injuries that Emma had sustained. She also briefly reminded them of the proper care needed when utilizing a cast and when to return to have the cast x-rayed and, hopefully, removed. "Now, like I said before, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to return to work in a couple weeks, I'll stop by your place on my way home every Friday to check up on you, and if I feel you are fit to return I'll give HR the go ahead to bring you back that following Monday. Are there any questions?"

Both Sarah and Emma shrugged and shook their heads to indicate there were no questions that came to mind. "Good, I'll send an orderly up with a wheelchair to take you out to the car."

"How about Molly and I go get the car while you ladies get Emma ready to go?" Chuck suggested, shuffling Molly in his arms from one hip to the other.

"Sounds good," Sarah gave her boyfriend a soft smile and a kiss on the cheek, "Thanks."

"No need to thank me," Chuck smiled warmly back at her before exiting the room.

It didn't take long to get down to the car and Molly fastened into her car seat, so they wound up sitting, listening to the radio, for a little bit before Sarah and Ellie came out, flanking Emma who was being pushed in her wheelchair by a young woman in grey scrubs. When they got closer to the car, Chuck quickly got out and opened the passenger side front door as it was easier for Emma to maneuver into the front seat with her bruised left side. Since Emma was steady on her feet, it didn't take long for her to transfer from the wheelchair to the front seat of the Corsica. Once she was seated and Sarah had assisted her in buckling her seatbelt, Chuck closed the door and opened the rear passenger door for Sarah.

"Chuck are you going to be home tonight?" Ellie asked as Sarah got into the car, "We would love to have you for dinner."

Chuck looked between his sister and his girlfriend, "I don't know Elle," He shrugged, "I want to make sure Emma, Sarah, and Molly are good to go before I take off."

Ellie gave her brother a warm smile, "Aces, Charles, you're Aces."

"Wow, a Dad quote, I'm impressed," Chuck teased, giving his sister a hug.

"Well you deserve it," Ellie returned the hug, "I'm so proud of you, little brother. You've really grown into an amazing man."

"It's all thanks to you, Sis," Chuck kissed his sister's cheek, "I'd better get going before I have a mutiny on my hands. I promise I'll come by for dinner once I'm back home, okay?"

"Alright," Ellie nodded, "Have a good night."

"You too, Ellie," He waved at her as he rounded the car to the driver's side door, "Give Clara and Awesome a hug from me."

"I will," Ellie stepped back as she watched her brother get in the car, buckle his seatbelt, and put the car in gear before driving off with his precious cargo.


	15. Chapter 15

The drive back to the Walker household was relatively quick as they were going opposite most of the traffic. Chuck got Molly while Sarah assisted her mother into the house. Since it was getting close to dinner time, Chuck offered to make dinner while the ladies relaxed. He handed Molly off to Sarah and proceeded to the kitchen to inventory what he had to work with. Finding some chicken breast, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, eggs, and white wine, he decided that making a quick chicken parmesan would be the best option for the evening. Further exploring in the pantry resulted in finding pasta and red sauce.

After beating the eggs and mixing up the bread crumb and parmesan dredge, he started heating some oil in the skillet as he got the chicken ready to fry. 10 minutes later he added butter and white wine to the pan and covered it to let the chicken simmer to finish cooking as he filled a large pot with water to cook the pasta. While he waited for the pasta to cook, he made quick work of setting the table and pouring drinks for the ladies and himself. Molly got milk, Emma got iced tea since she couldn't have alcohol with her medication, and he poured glasses of the same chardonnay he'd used to cook the chicken in for himself and Sarah. Once the noodles were cooked and drained and mixed with pasta, he called the family to the table as he dished up the meal. The adults all got chicken and pasta while Molly was given a bowl of chopped noodles and some cut up bits of chicken which were given to her once they were cooled enough for her to handle with her fingers.

"Chuck, that was amazing," Emma complimented him.

"Thank you, Emma," Chuck blushed slightly under her praise as he continued to eat, "It was nothing."

"Don't sell yourself short, Chuck," Sarah gave him a soft smile, "You doing this, and everything you've done, especially the past couple days, for us is greatly appreciated. We are very lucky that you found us."

"No," He looked up at his girlfriend, "I'm the lucky one to have found you again."

Sarah blushed at his statement and went back to eating her dinner while also sharing the task with Chuck of making sure Molly ate her dinner. As the meal wrapped up, Chuck collected the dishes and carried them back to the kitchen. Before he began to wash up, he made sure to put away the leftovers, even portioning out a chicken breast and some pasta into an individual container for Sarah to take with her for lunch the next day.

"Chuck, you don't have to clean up," Sarah protested carrying in the glasses and cups from the table, "You've already done enough by making dinner, making sure Mom is okay, taking care of Molly and I, and… well you know everything. I can take care of the dishes."

"Don't worry about it, Sarah," Chuck shrugged, "If there's one thing Bartowskis are good at, it's cleaning. You go spend time with your mom and Molly and I'll join you in a little bit once I get this cleaned up. But first," He reached into the fridge to pull out the wine bottle and refill the glass that Sarah still held in her hand, "I think a little more vino is in order."

Sarah just looked at him, and adoring look on her face as she watched Chuck making quick work of the dishes. "You are truly one of a kind, Chuck Bartowski." She murmured before going back and sitting on the couch with her mom to chat while Molly played with some toys on the living room floor.

Chuck joined them a short time later, as he promised, and they settled in to watch a movie. Molly had at one point gotten up and toddled over to the adults asking to snuggle with them before eventually curling up in Chuck's lap and falling asleep. As the credits rolled, Sarah smoothly lifted the little girl into her arms, leaning down so that Chuck and her mom could kiss the little girl goodnight before taking her back to her room to be changed and put to bed in her crib.

When Sarah returned, she found Chuck helping Emma get up from the couch as her left side was still sore. Once Emma was up on her feet, she said goodnight to Chuck and started toward the hall that led to the bedrooms.

"I know I've said it before, but that young man of yours is a keeper," Emma smiled at her daughter.

"Yeah, he is," Sarah agreed, looking past her mother to Chuck who was in the process of removing the DVD and putting it away before shutting down the entertainment system.

"And he loves you," Emma smiled up at her, "And Molly."

"I know," Sarah grinned, "We love him, too."

"Not to push, but should I be using this mandatory down time I now have to start looking for venues?" Emma gave her daughter a teasing smirk.

"You're getting a little ahead of yourself, don't you think?" Sarah chuckled.

"Maybe, maybe not," Emma shrugged, "All I know is when you find your person, you hold on to them and cherish every moment you get with them. And looking at the two of you, three of you if we are counting Molly…"

"Which we should," Sarah interjected.

"He's your person, and you are his," Emma gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek, "I'm going to go to bed, my meds are making me sleepy. I don't care if he stays or not, just don't do anything I wouldn't do, and try not to wake the baby."

"Mom!" Sarah blushed.

"I was young once, heck, how do you think you came about?" Emma arched an eyebrow, "Good night, Sweetheart."

"Good night, Mom," Sarah rolled her eyes before kissing her mother's cheek and stepping aside to let the older woman pass. When she reentered the living room, Chuck turned to see her, and a big grin spread across his face as if he was seeing the best thing in the world by looking at her. It made her weak in the knees, but she fought to maintain her footing as she walked up to him and let him enfold her in his arms. "Thank you," She whispered against his neck from where her head rested on his shoulder.

"You know I'd do anything for my girls," Chuck smiled against the top of her head where he was kissing her crown. "You don't ever have to think family for doing what family is supposed to do."

"Is that what we are?" Sarah looked up at him, "Family?"

"If you'll let me be," Chuck smiled warmly down at her, the love and affection he felt for her clear in his hazel eyes, "I already consider you, Molly, and Emma part of my family, and I can guarantee you that Awesome, Ellie, and Clara feel the same way. You are my family, whether we share a name or not."

"And if I wanted to someday share a name with you?" She smiled up at him, "Maybe add a couple more to our number?"

"I would be down for that," He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, "Just say the word and we can make it happen."

"You don't think it's too fast?" Sarah gave him a hopeful look.

"Too fast?" Chuck snickered, "Woman, I have loved you for the better part of the past ten years, this has been the opposite of fast."

Sarah chuckled at his pronouncement, "You make a good point, Mr. Bartowski." She lifted up on her toes to kiss him, pouring her love and commitment into the display of affection. "But I think it's traditionally the man to kicks things off."

"Point taken," Chuck nodded, "I'll see what I can do about that." He pulled her closer into his arms, pressing warm kisses to her lips, jaw, and neck, smiling as he felt a shiver run through him as he hit a particularly sensitive spot right below her ear.

"My only request is that we wait for Mom to be fully healed up before we make anything official," Sarah sighed.

"Are we talking anything, anything, or just the license, officiant, vows thing?" Chuck leaned back a bit to look into his girlfriend's eyes.

"Just that last part," She confirmed, "I know she's going to want to look her best in the pictures, so the cast will have to come off first."

"Good to know," Chuck nodded, "Are you a big event kind of girl, or intimate gathering type person?"

"Neither of us have much in the way of extended family," Sarah shrugged, "I'm thinking family and a few friends."

"I think I can work with that," Chuck nodded, "We can discuss details later. It's getting late and you have school in the morning. Do you need me to stay the night again?"

"As much as I would love that," Sarah ran her hands up and down his chest, "We're okay, you can sleep in your own bed, enjoy it while you still can."

"Only if you're sure," Chuck hedged.

"I'm sure, I love that you were willing to stay again for us, though" She smiled brilliantly up at him.

"Hey, you're my girl, kinda comes with the territory," Chuck shrugged modestly, "I'll head out, then. I put some leftovers in a smaller container for you to take to work tomorrow."

"You take such good care of me, Chuck Bartowski," Sarah walked him to the door.

"Just practicing for someday," He pulled her into his arms once more for a searing goodnight kiss that left them both weak in the knees. "I love you Sarah."

"I love you too, Chuck," Sarah smiled up at him, "Drive safe getting home."

"I will," Chuck assured her, "Do you want me to call and set up an appointment with the lawyer?"

"Nah, I'll take care of it during my lunch break," Sarah shook her head, "Thank you for offering though. Do you want to join us?"

"I can try to make it, if you want me there," Chuck began to walk backwards toward his car.

"I think we would appreciate it if you were there," Sarah nodded, "If not for moral support, but as a witness to the accident. I'll let you know the time once I set the appointment."

"Alright," Chuck nodded, "I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Sarah nodded.

"Alright, goodnight," Chuck gave her a small wave before getting in his car and driving off as she waved goodbye to him.

It was quiet as he walked into the courtyard of his condo complex, the only sound was the trickling of water as it poured from one level to another in the fountain. The low light casting the area in comfortable, soothing, shadow. He had just inserted his key into the lock of his door when he heard the front door of his sister's condo open up.

"I thought you said you were spending the night at Sarah's," Ellie probed, walking toward him in slippers, pajamas, and a fluffy robe, her hair up in a messy bun, and face scrubbed of makeup, "Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Sis," Chuck assured her, "They just didn't need me there tonight. Sarah assured me she had everything under control."

"Alright," Ellie nodded, "Let her know that if there are any questions about what Emma should and shouldn't be doing, that they can call me."

"They know, Elle," Chuck gave his sister a placating smile, "It's late and I have work in the morning, so I really should be getting to bed."

"Okay," Ellie smiled up at her brother, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Elle," Chuck returned the smile as he opened his door and stepped inside. Once the door was locked, he made his way across to the stairs and slowly climbed up to his room. Not bothering to put on pajamas, he stripped down to his boxers and undershirt and slid under the covers. He was struck by the realization that his bed felt empty without Sarah laying beside him. After two nights, he had already acclimated to her presence as he slept. Considering the conversation that he and Sarah had before he left, he knew he would be doing something to remedy the situation soon.

He began to formulate plans to ramp up to doing that something as he slowly drifted off to sleep where his dreams were filled with Sarah in a white gown which morphed into images of Sarah a bundle in her arms and exhausted but happy look on her face as she said something to him that doesn't quite reach his ears. The last dream he remembered was a white house with a picket fence and a red door, him and Sarah sitting on the porch swing while they watched Molly and other children playing in the yard. A sense of peace, love, and joy surrounding them.


	16. Chapter 16

A week had passed since the accident, Chuck and Sarah had returned to work and Emma was still at home, although moving around better and better every day. Since Emma's only real restriction was her left arm, which would remain in the cast for several more weeks, the decision was made for Molly to stay home with her grandma, which she was loving every minute of. It had taken Sarah a while to convince her mother to call the lawyer to see about taking legal action against Joseph Davies to get him, or at least his insurance company, to cover Emma's medical bills and the cost of replacing her car.

The appointment was set, and Molly was dropped off at Miss Anne's for the day, Sarah took the day off work and canceled her coaching sessions. She also had called Chuck asking him to come with them since he was there at the time of the accident. Of course, he agreed and even offered to treat the women to lunch afterward as the appointment was set for 10 am. He had gone in long enough to make sure everything was set for the release of their game in time for Christmas shopping to begin and had left the operations for the rest of the day in the capable hands of his best buddy, Morgan.

Emma and Sarah had been shown into the meeting room where they were to meet the attorney who would be representing Emma's interests. It was a simple conference room with a small 6-seat table, a monitor on one end and large glass windows with shades that could be opened and closed if needed for client confidentiality. Sarah was getting a little concerned that Chuck wasn't there yet, but figured he'd gotten held up at work or, the more likely reason, had gotten stuck in traffic. Looking up she saw a young man about her age with dark wavy hair, and a nice, but not overly fancy, navy business suit which he wore with a sky-blue dress shirt and no tie approaching the conference room when she heard the door open and close. Turning, she smiled at the man who quickly made his way into the room.

"Sorry, I know I'm running late," Chuck gave her soft smile and a kiss before taking his seat next to her, "Morgan had a million questions about the release before he let me leave and then I got stuck in traffic and, gah!"

"Well you made it just in time," Sarah assured him.

"The lawyer hasn't come in yet," Emma added.

"Yes, I have," Came a slightly accented voice from the doorway, causing the three other adults to turn and see him. It was the man Sarah had seen just a moment before. "Hello, I'm Clavo Villanueva Penhall. I know it's a bit of a mouthful, you can just call me Clavo; I'm sorry if you feel my Aunt Judy foisted you off on me. I swear I don't ask her to do it."

This got a chuckle from the trio as Clavo took his seat, opening a leather folio on the table in front of him and organizing some papers before returning his gaze to the women and man sitting across from him. He noticed Emma's cast and gave her a warm smile, "I'm guessing you are Emma?"

"Yes, I am," Emma nodded then gestured to her daughter beside her. "This is my daughter Sarah and her… Chuck."

Clavo turned his sights to the tall man who sat with the women, "Chuck? You were at the crash site, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yeah, right place right time," Chuck shrugged, "I was heading home from dropping Sarah off and part of my drive home happens to follow the same route as Emma takes to work. I witnessed the crash and started administering aid until first responders arrived."

"And your sister was the ER attendant who treated Emma?" Clavo confirmed.

"As luck would have it, Westside was the closest hospital to the accident and Ellie happened to be the attendant on ER rotation." Emma explained, "I'm very lucky since I hit my head during the accident that the physician on rotation was a neurologist."

"Alright," Clavo nodded, consulting the reports he'd received and making a few notes of his own, "I see here that Mr. Davies, the other party involved was evaluated on scene and was found to be under the influence at the time of the accident?"

"That's what we were told by the police," Emma nodded.

"Seems we have a good place to start from," Clavo smiled up at them, "As for my fee…"

The lawyer was interrupted by a knock on the conference room door followed closely by two older men who looked to be in their late 40's or early 50's. One was thin with an angular, clean-shaven, face dark hair and eyes, and wore a jean jacket, ripped jeans, and motorcycle boots. The other man was taller but broader than his cohort, he had a buzz cut fauxhawk and a bit of scruff, the brown coloring interspersed with grey, it was clear he had been athletic in his youth but had softened a little around the edges over the years. He wore a leather motorcycle jacket, jeans, and boots. Clavo looked up at the newest additions to the room and gave them a questioning look.

"Uncle Tommy, Papa Tio, I'm a little busy right now," Clavo gave them a pointed look as if they hadn't seen the three other occupants of the room. He knew they had, nothing really got by them anymore due to their combined 53 years in law enforcement, "What is so important that you couldn't wait?"

The broader man smiled warmly at him, holding up a paper bag and shaking it at him, "You forgot your lu-unch," He sing-songed, causing his partner to roll his eyes.

Clavo did not look impressed, used to his adoptive father's antics, which were only spurred on and encouraged by his best friend and long-time work partner. "Thanks, but you could have just left it with the receptionist."

"Hey," The man who still held the paper lunch bag, held up his hands defensively, "I'm just trying to be a good parental-type figure and make sure you eat. It's Pollo! You love Pollo!"

Clavo rolled his eyes before turning back to his clients, "I do apologize for this, I know it's extremely unprofessional."

"You should meet some of my family," Chuck snickered.

"Clavo, you gonna introduce us?" The thinner man pressed, earning an amused and slightly defeated huff from his honorary nephew.

"If they are okay with it?" Clavo checked with his clients who just chuckled and nodded their consent. "Will you two go away If I do?"

"Sure, whatever you want," The stockier man nodded.

"Fine," Clavo stood and walked over to the newest additions to the room, snagging the paper bag out of his Papa Tio's hand and setting it on the table beside him, "Emma, Sarah, and Chuck, allow me to introduce some more of my family. This is my Papa Tio, Doug Penhall, and his partner, Tom Hansen."

"Work partner," Hansen corrected.

Clavo ignored the interruption as he continued, "My Aunt Judy used to work with them on an undercover task force. They loved undercover work so much, they went on to the DEA. They like to pop in and embarrass me when they are in town."

"So basically, family," Chuck snickered.

"Si, family," Clavo admitted with a slight shrug and amused expression on his face, "Papa Tio, Uncle Tommy, this is Emma and Sarah Walker and Chuck Bartowski."

"Chuck Bartowski, like the computer guy?" Penhall turned to him.

"Uh, yeah," Chuck shrugged.

"And didn't you just play at the Phil?" Penhall turned to Sarah.

"And just how would you know that?" Hansen rounded on his partner.

"What?" Doug gave his friend an innocent look, "I enjoy culture, I heard her play a beautiful aria a couple years ago when she was with the New York Philharmonic. When I heard she was performing at the season opening of the LA Phil, I had to go. Miss Walker you gave me chills."

"Thank you," Sarah blushed at the compliment, "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Why didn't you take me with you?" Hansen demanded, back handing his best friend's arm.

"I didn't think you would enjoy it," Penhall shrugged, "It didn't seem your thing."

"I grew up playing in the school orchestra!" Hansen huffed, "I would have enjoyed it!"

"I'm sorry, I'll bring you next time," Penhall gave his buddy a sheepish smile.

"Hey!" Clavo interjected trying to regain control of the conversation, "Felix, Oscar, take your lover's spat outside, I'm in a meeting."

"Fine," Penhall huffed, "We'll probably be in town a while on assignment, so I don't know how much I'll be able to see you on this go-around. Just wanted to swing by and say hello before we went under."

"I appreciate you coming, but I have a meeting to get back to." Clavo gave his father and uncle a smile.

"Alright, we'll get out of your hair, see ya around," Hansen gave the younger man a small waive and exited.

"It was good to see ya kiddo," Penhall walked over to Clavo and slung his arm around the younger man's neck, pulling him in and dropping a kiss on his head, "Love ya kid."

"Love ya too, Papa Tio," Clavo smiled up at the man who had raised him since he was eight, "You two stay safe."

"We will," Penhall nodded and turned back to Chuck, Emma, and Sarah, "It was nice to meet you. My kid here will take good care of you."

"We're sure he will," Emma smiled warmly at the man, "Good luck."

"Thanks," Penhall nodded and left the room as well.

"Sorry about them," Clavo shook his head as he rounded the conference table and reclaimed his seat, "Now, where were we?" He looked over his paperwork, "Right, my fee. As this is an injury case, I will not be charging you for my time, win or lose. We will include my billed hours in the litigation paperwork, it will be Mr. Davies who will have to pick up the tab. Don't worry, I am no where near as expensive as most other lawyers, so it won't be too much more of a hardship for him. From the police and medical reports, plus eyewitness testimony, we have enough to prove he is culpable to cover the expenses you incurred as a result of the accident. I have already taken the liberty of filing a preliminary petition with the court and we have a hearing date for next Thursday."

"Wow, that was fast," Emma looked impressed.

"To be honest, we got lucky that there was an opening in the schedule," Clavo shrugged. "I have your number if anything comes up, and I know you have mine. If you need anything, have questions, whatever, please just give me a call."

"Thank you," Emma smiled at the younger man as they all stood and shook hands.

As Emma and Chuck turned to leave, Sarah put a hand on Chuck's wrist pausing his retreat, "Hold on a moment," She spoke softly before turning to the lawyer, "Um Clavo, if you have a moment, there's another matter I would like to discuss with you."

Emma looked between her daughter and the attorney questioningly, "Do I need to stay for this?"

"No, Mom, I'll catch up with you in a minute," Sarah assured her.

Once Emma left Clavo turned his attention to the couple before him, "What can I do for you?"

"I know you're busy, so I'll make this quick," Sarah gave him an apologetic smile as they reclaimed their seats, "I don't know if you know anything about custody arrangements."

"I deal with them all the time," Clavo assured her, "Granted it's usually in a slightly different context than I'm sure you are dealing with."

"Well, I have a child, a little girl from a previous relationship," Sarah began as Chuck took her hand in solidarity, "Her father has not been in the picture since I told him that I was pregnant. I didn't even put his name on the birth certificate when she was born. Chuck and I have discussed marriage, and assuming that happens, I would like him to have the option of adopting her."

"I follow you so far," Clavo nodded, "And I assume you are on board with this plan, Chuck?"

"Yeah," Chuck smiled at his girlfriend as he ran his thumb over the knuckles of her hand. "I was actually able to help track him down."

"That's good," Clavo nodded, "It will be easier to serve him if we know where to find him."

"That's the thing," Sarah sighed, "He found us a couple weeks ago, after my performance with the LA Phil the night before my mom's accident, in fact. There was an … altercation."

"He was out of line and I decked him," Chuck admitted the tone of his voice a mix of pride and sheepishness.

"He was escorted out by security and we were unable to make arrangements or even come to an agreement regarding him officially waving his parental rights." Sarah continued, "Part of the issue in the altercation was that he claims he didn't know he had a child despite me telling him that I was pregnant."

"Okay," Clavo nodded, "Well, considering his complete lack of interest in your daughter, we may have grounds to terminate due to parental abandonment."

"There's more," Sarah gave him an apologetic look.

"More?" Clavo's eyebrows raised intrigued.

"I may or may not have found proof that he is a clandestine agent with an intelligence agency," Chuck shrugged, "So nailing him down to be served could prove difficult."

"There are ways to work with that," Clavo nodded confidently, "We can try to locate the address of his current residence and serve him there, if we are unable to, we will reach out to him by as many ways possible, notating everything. If that doesn't prove fruitful, we can request a judge to sever parental rights in abstentia."

"What is that standard fee for all this?" Chuck inquired, "It seems like quite a bit of work on your part."

"I'm assuming that I may need to have some of the paperwork processed through DC somewhere?" Clavo gave them a knowing grin.

"Money is no object," Chuck stated definitively.

"Some might say that's a dangerous statement to make to a lawyer," Clavo laughed good naturedly.

"No, Chuck," Sarah shook her head, "I can't let you…"

"Hey, if all goes to plan, it will be your money too," Chuck shrugged, "Time frame makes no difference."

Sarah rolled her eyes and turned back to Clavo with an expectant look.

"Starting estimate, $3500," Clavo gave them a small smile, "Mainly because I will need to find someone in DC I can trust and will need to be able to cover their fees."

"Understood," Sarah nodded, "So you can help us with this?"

"Yeah, I'll help you out." Clavo nodded, "I have a soft spot for adoptive parents, especially adoptive fathers, thanks to my Papa Tio."

"I'm guessing he's your uncle and he adopted you?" Sarah inquired leaning on her Spanish electives from college.

"Exactamente," Clavo grinned. "I was born in El Salvador, my Tia came here seeking sanctuary, met and married my uncle. However, due to how quickly they married after meeting, the judge refused to acknowledge their marriage as valid when it was brought to her attention after she refused to grant her asylum and deported her. Long story short, she 'disappeared' as many who went against the government back then did. Papa Tio came looking for her with Uncle Tommy and found my mother and me. My mother sent me back with him for my safety, good thing too, because she eventually 'disappeared' too, and he adopted me. We believe they were both murdered." He crossed himself, "Father Kelly held a memorial service in their honors. Papa Tio, Uncle Tommy, Aunt Judy, Uncle Harry, Captain Fuller, and I were the only ones there."

"I am so sorry," Sarah replied softly.

"Thank you," Clavo gave her a soft smile, "I didn't tell you this to play on your sympathy, but to let you know how highly I regard anyone who loves a child enough to take them into their hearts."

"I appreciate that," Chuck nodded, "And I do love Molly very much."

"I know," Clavo smiled at him, "I can see it in your eyes and they way you love her mother, that was clear to me from the moment I walked in here." He turned back to Sarah, "I will need Molly's information as well as whatever contact information you have on her birth father. Name, birthdate, address, phone, email, work, you get the idea. You can email it all to me," He handed her a card which she promptly handed to Chuck.

"I'll email you by this afternoon," Chuck nodded.

"You do that, and I'll start the filing process by this evening," Clavo smiled as he stood again, gathering his folio and bagged lunch before escorting them to the door of the conference room, "It was nice to meet you both, and I'll do my best to resolve both matters as expeditiously as I can."

"That's all we can ask," Chuck nodded, shaking the lawyer's hand and placing his hand on the small of Sarah's back as she did the same, before escorting her out. They watched as Clavo continued on to his office before meeting up with Emma who had texted them to say she would meet them out front as she was wanting a little fresh air. "So, lunch?"

"Lunch," Sarah agreed as they made their way out of the office building, hope that Clavo would be able to carry through for them on both their cases filling their hearts and minds.


	17. Chapter 17

"Alright, Emma," Ellie smiled down at the woman who was seated on the couch, "You seem to be able to move around just fine, and the effects of your concussion have passed. I am going to clear you to come back to work. With one proviso, you will be on _light_ duty until after your cast comes off and you are cleared by a physical therapist to return to your full duties. We can't have you trying to move kids with only one good arm."

"I've been out of work for two weeks now, I'll take what I can get," Emma chuckled, "Even if that means being relegated to the nurses' station and being a glorified secretary until I'm back to 100%."

"Glad to hear it," Ellie nodded, "Now on to something a little more personal. I would like you, Sarah, and Molly to join us for Thanksgiving. We always have more than enough, and we all know that if Sarah and my brother ever get their act together that one of the main reasons for her to marry him is so she and Molly won't go hungry."

Emma couldn't help but laugh at the young doctor's assessment of her daughter's culinary skills, "True enough, although as her mother I sincerely hope the biggest she marries him is because they love each other and Molly so much they can't stand to be apart."

"As his sister and pseudo mother, I sincerely hope that Chuck marries Sarah for the same reason." Ellie grinned.

"I appreciate the invitation, and I think we will join you," Emma smiled, "But only if you let us bring something, wine, pie, or something… in addition to cake, of course as Sarah's birthday falls on Thanksgiving this year."

"I didn't know that," Ellie's grin widened, "Tell you what, I'll take care of the cake, if you bring some pie and wine. Pumpkin, pecan, and apple are the most popular at our place, just let me know what you want to bring, and I'll make the others."

"I can do a couple pumpkin pies," Emma agreed, "And I'll have Sarah pick out some wine, do you have a preference between red, white, and blush?"

"I usually have an assortment," Ellie shrugged as her phone chimed an alert. She checked it quickly and turned back to Emma, "Sorry, I have to get going, Devon just got pulled into emergency surgery, some visiting dignitary collapsed, and they suspect a coronary event. I have to go get Clara from the sitter's."

"Go, get your daughter," Emma waved her off.

"I'll see you Thursday, if not sooner," Ellie slung the strap of the satchel she used as a medical kit over her shoulder and headed toward the door. "We eat dinner around 3pm, but if you and the girls want to come by that morning, we usually sit around in our comfy clothes, drinking mimosas, and eating cinnamon rolls while we watch the parade. You're welcome to join us."

"I'll let you know," Emma nodded, following Ellie to the front door, "Thank you for stopping by, Ellie."

"You're most welcome," Ellie gave the woman a quick hug, "It's what family does." And with that, she headed back to her car which was parallel parked at the edge of the lawn of Emma's home.

* * *

Chuck had just stumbled into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee when the sound of a knock, echoed by a soft tapping noise, came from his front door. He finished stirring the cream and sugar in his mug and took a sip of the strong brew as he made his way to the front door.

"Dada!" Molly squealed as she tried to launch herself into Chuck's arms. Thankfully Sarah had a good grip on the little girl.

"Hey there Sweet-Pea," Chuck grinned at the little girl, who he gladly accepted her into his free arm as Sarah passed her over, "I missed so much!" He blew a raspberry on the little girl's neck, causing her to squeal before turning to his girlfriend, "Hey beautiful, happy birthday." He leaned in to press a light kiss to her lips.

"Thank you," Sarah smiled up at him, "Mmm, you taste good."

"Must be the coffee, I haven't had a chance to eat or drink anything else," He shrugged and stepped back to let her into his home, "I was going to get dressed and head over to Ellie's as soon as I drank a cup or two, would you like one?"

"I would love one!" Sarah smiled, following him through the living room and into the kitchen where she began to doctor her coffee until it was just the way she liked it. "I so needed that. Little Miss here thought it would be a good idea to wake Mommy up before the sun had even risen, and then Mom was running around like a mad woman checking, two or three times over that we had everything we needed for today, including a change of clothes so we look presentable for dinner. She even made sure Molly and I had PJ's and enough diapers to last us until tomorrow in case we decided to stay the night."

"Well, we did get that pack'n'play for a reason," Chuck shrugged, "So I would have no complaints if the two most beautiful ladies in the universe slept over with me tonight. Speaking of, where are your bags?"

"In the car," Sarah took another sip of her coffee, letting the beverage warm her from the inside out, "I didn't want to seem too presumptuous."

"Please, assume away," Chuck smiled, "I've practically retrofitted my upstairs guest room into a nursery for Molly… at least until we find a better option." He added the last bit under his breath, but the eyebrow Sarah quirked at him made it clear she had heard it. Thankfully she chose to not comment on it for the time being.

"I'll grab our things in a minute," Sarah took another sip from her coffee, "Should I bring everything in here or should I take some over to Ellie's?"

"Just dump everything here," Chuck gave a small shake of his head, "I'm already going to have to come back later to change for dinner. Maybe just bring Molly's diaper bag with you to Elle's so you don't have to rush back her to change her."

"Good idea," Sarah nodded, "You good with her?"

"Yeah, we're fine, aren't we Sweet-Pea?" Chuck smiled down at the little girl who had snuggled up in his lap. "Is your mom already over at Ellie's?"

"Yeah, we took the pies and wine over to your sister's before Molly and I came over to make sure you were awake," Sarah nodded, "Last I saw, Ellie had her opening cans of cinnamon rolls while your sister started on the mimosas."

"Which means that we probably have less than 15 minutes before I start getting calls or my sister pounding down my door," Chuck teased as his phone rang. He walked over to the kitchen where his charging station was and rolled his eyes. Lifting the phone so Sarah could see the caller ID, he answered the call, "Hey Sis, yeah they're still over here… Sarah's going to get her things from the car then we'll be right over… will you relax, the parade doesn't start for another half hour and we still have time before anything more than the turkey needs taken care of. …I know you want everything to be perfect but… okay, alright, we'll be there shortly."

Sarah couldn't help the snicker that rose to her lips. "Shut up," Chuck huffed, "Be glad you don't have siblings."

"I don't know, I always wanted a sister growing up," Sarah mused as she stood and carried her cup to the kitchen to wash and set in the drying rack.

"Want mine?" Chuck offered, only half joking.

"I think another question would have to be asked before that can happen," Sarah smirked and pecked him on the cheek, "I'll be right back."

As soon as the door closed, Chuck looked down at the little girl in his lap, "Was she suggesting what I think she was suggesting?"

"Mama bye-bye?" Molly looked up at him.

"No, Mommy will be right back," Chuck gave her a reassuring smile.

"Mama, Molly stay wif Daddy?" Molly's puppy eyes were nearly Chuck's undoing,

"Tonight yes," Chuck nodded.

Molly seemed satisfied with his answer as she promptly wiggled until he let her down to the floor. She made her way over to the corner of the living room where some of Clara's old toys sat in a wicker basket for Molly to play with. She pulled out a doll and sat down, cradling it in her arms and humming a nonsense tune.

"What'cha got there Moll?" Chuck gave her a warm smile.

"Baby," She didn't look up from the doll she was cuddling.

"Is that your baby?" Chuck asked.

"Nu-uh," Molly shook her head, golden ringlets bouncing with the motion, "Mama baby."

"Oh, so the baby is you?" Chuck smiled.

"Nu-uh," Molly shook her head, "Baby 'isser."

Chuck's eyes widened at the conviction in the little girl's voice. Not knowing what to quite say, he stood and went to wash out his own cup. Just as he returned to the living room, Sarah came in, diaper bag over her shoulder, duffel bag in one hand and two outfits on hangers draped over her arm. She quickly made her way up the stairs only to return moments later with just the diaper bag.

"Ready to go to Ellie's?" She looked at him expectantly.

"Ellie's?" Chuck's eyebrows lifted a moment, "Yeah, let me just throw some clothes on and we can head over. We don't want to miss the start of the parade." He dashed upstairs only to return a few minutes later wearing a forest green Henley, jeans and his Converse. Scooping up Molly, baby doll and all, from where she was still playing in the living room and joined Sarah at the front door to walk over to his sister's home.

"Are you okay?" Sarah gave him a concerned look.

"Yeah, fine," Chuck nodded a little more enthusiastically than was needed, "I'm just dandy," He winced.

Sarah gave him a skeptical look, but let it go, "Okay," She shrugged as they took the last few steps over to the casa de Woodcomb and knocked.

Devon answered the door, shirtless, wearing nothing but sneakers and his blue athletic shorts, a light sheen of sweat evident on his muscled torso. "Mornin' Bro," He smiled at his brother-in-law, "Sarah, Miss Molly, awesome to see you."

"Devon for the love of..." Chuck groaned, "Could you please put on a shirt?"

"Oh, right," Devon chuckled good naturedly, opening the door to allow them entrance while he scooped up a muscle shirt from the handlebars of the stationary bike that sat in the alcove just to the other side of the door, "Sorry about that, I was getting in a pre-feast work out. That way I am free to feast to my heart's content. I'm gonna go hop in the shower real quick, let Elle know I'll be back before the parade kicks off."

"Sure thing, Awesome," Chuck rolled his eyes as the older man bounded up the stairs to his room to get ready for the day. "Sorry about that, we're still working with him on what is and is not appropriate dress in mixed company."

Sarah giggled as she followed Chuck further into the apartment. They were nearly to the kitchen when they heard a squeal from the living room.

"Uncle Chuck, Aunti Sarah, you're here!" Clara jumped up from where she had been having a tea party with a few of her dolls and stuffed animals, "Where's Molly?"

"She's right here," Chuck put Molly down on the floor in front of him, chuckling at his niece's enthusiasm as she rushed over and gave the smaller girl a big hug. "Careful, Clara." He softly admonished, "Molly is still little, I don't think she's quite ready for the full Bartowski bear hug."

"Oh," Clara blushed a little and eased up on her hug before grabbing the little girl's hand and bringing her into the living room to play with her.

"'Aunti Sarah?'" Chuck turned back to his girlfriend, "When did that start?"

"A week or so ago, Ellie brought Clara along with her to check my mom's arm," Sarah shrugged, "Clara heard Molly call your sister 'Auntie Ellie' and asked if she could call me Aunti Sarah since Ellie was Molly's aunt now. I said it was okay with me and you sister agreed."

"Makes sense," Chuck nodded, "Shall we go see if breakfast is ready?"

"It's smelling pretty good already," Sarah hummed as they made their way toward the pass-through that sat between the kitchen and the dining room.

Ellie was mixing up mimosa and had a couple plastic cups sitting on the counter next to the champagne flutes awaiting the girls' drinks. She looked up when she saw her brother and his girlfriend approach, "Good morning, you two, glad you could make it!"

"As if we had a choice," Chuck teased, earning an eye roll from his older sister. "Is breakfast almost ready?"

The oven chimed as if awaiting its cue. The pans were small enough for Emma to grab one at a time with her good hand and set them on the counter to be iced. Ellie took over from there, thanking Emma for her help.

"Good morning, Chuck," The older woman smiled at him as she pulled the oven mitt of her hand and came out of the kitchen to give him a hug.

"G'morning, Emma," Chuck smiled down at her as he released his hold on her, "How are you doing today?"

"I'm doing great," She smiled up at him, "Glad you sister invited us over for Thanksgiving. I don't know how I'd be able to wrangle a turkey with this broken wing of mine."

"Well, we're glad to have you," Chuck nodded, "Hopefully this won't be the last time our table is graced with the presence of such lovely ladies as the Walker Women."

"Sarah, you got yourself a charmer here," Emma cooed at her daughter.

"Don't I know it," She chuckled.

"Breakfast is ready!" Ellie called out.

"Made it just in time!" Devon crowed, descending the stairs, hair still damp from his shower and now, thankfully, dressed in a UCLA t-shirt and a comfortable pair of jeans. "Awesome!"

"Oh good, you're back," Ellie smiled up at her husband who had ducked into the kitchen to press a kiss to her cheek, "Could you grab the fruit and take it into the living room?"

"You got it, Babe," Devon nodded, pulling open the fridge and pulling out a small platter covered in an assortment of sliced melon, pineapple, raspberries, blueberries, and seedless grapes. He dutifully carried it out to the living room and set it on the coffee table as Ellie continued to issue orders.

"Emma, there are some paper plates on the table, could you take those over for me?" Ellie pointed to where the stack of plate sat before turning to Sarah, "I wasn't sure if you were okay with Molly having orange juice or not, the OJ and milk are in the fridge and there is a sippy cup for Molly to use. Would you mind pouring Clara a little bit of orange juice in the plastic cup on the counter?"

"Sure," Sarah nodded and set to her task as Ellie started to hand over a few of the champagne flutes to Chuck.

"Chuck, please help me carry the mimosas out to the living room for the adults," She smiled at her brother's nod of acknowledgement as she picked up the remaining glasses and followed him into the living room.

Devon had turned on the TV as Chuck prepared plates for Molly and Clara who were each getting half a cinnamon roll along with an assortment of fruit. The girls were served at Clara's little tea table which was the perfect size for the little girls to sit at and enjoy their breakfast while watching the colorful floats and performers of the parade. He then set to putting together plates for Sarah, Emma, and himself while Devon focused on making plates for himself and Ellie. Sarah returned as the plates were being distributed, setting Clara and Molly's juice cups in front of them before joining Chuck on the loveseat. Emma had claimed the armchair for herself, while the Awesomes had settled on the couch.

The parade broadcast was currently focused on the normal talking heads which emceed the event for their station. They were interviewing an actor who was in a new production on Broadway, which was interesting for the adults, not so much for the youngest generation of their family. Thankfully, eating their breakfast had the girls pretty well preoccupied until the explosions of poppers and fireworks kicked off the parade, grabbing the girls' attention. By the time the Sesame Street float had made its way to the green carpet where all the performers stopped to present themselves for the broadcast, both girls had finished eating and had settled on the furniture with their parents.

Clara was sitting between her parents, happily munching on a piece of cantaloupe as she watched, transfixed, at the Rockette's performing their routine. Ellie smiled at her daughter, remembering being just as fascinated by the long-limbed dancers as a child. Turning her head slightly, she saw her younger brother, one arm around his girlfriend's shoulder as she snuggled up next to him, and one cradling Molly, who looked as if she might drift off at any minute as she'd already had a long day. She couldn't help but smile at the picture the three of them created, and looking toward Emma, she found that she wasn't the only one who thought so as the older woman caught her eye as the matriarchs of the family shared a knowing smile.

One the parade was over, the girls were fed a light snack and put down for a nap. Clara tried to fight it at first, but after being told that the sooner she went to sleep, the sooner Uncle Morgan and Aunt Alex would get there. Since they were her favorite people in the world, next to her Uncle Chuck, Aunt Sarah, and her new cousin Molly, she quickly laid down and closed her eyes. Molly was already asleep in Clara's old pack'n'play that her dad had pulled out of the closet and set up in her room, which made her happy, she liked sleeping in the same room as her new cousin.

While the girls were sleeping, the adults had split up between Ellie's and Chuck's condos to get everything baked in time for the feast. Since Ellie and Awesome's oven was occupied with cooking the bird, all the baked side dishes were sent to Chuck's home to be cycled through his oven in addition to the pecan and apple pie that Ellie had put together the previous day to be baked and served alongside the pumpkin pies that the Walkers had provided. By 3pm, all the side dishes and pies had been baked and insulated so that they were still warm come dinner time. Sarah and Chuck dashed up to Chuck's room to get dressed for dinner and grabbed Molly's dress from the guest room.

Thankfully, it only took a couple trips across the courtyard to transfer the side dishes and desserts over to Ellie and Devon's condo, a feat made easier by Devon and Alex, who had arrived just as Chuck and Sarah were carrying over the first round of baking dishes, jumping in and offering to help shuttle the crockery between their homes. By the time everything had been brought over, Ellie was just about to pull the bird out of the oven. Knowing that Ellie would want some family pictures while the bird rested and gravy simmered, Chuck and Devon retrieved the girls, from the living room where they were using their Uncle Morgan as a jungle gym, to get them dressed in their holiday dresses.

Getting Molly changed and dressed in her navy-blue dress and black patent leather mary-janes was fairly easy for Chuck. Devon had a harder time, as Clara had insisted that she wear something that matched her cousin rather than the magenta dress her mom had bought her. After much debate between the father and daughter, Devon gave in and, with Clara's help, selected a navy dress with short sleeves, a rounded neckline, and a high-low skirt. Clara, ever the little fashionista, chose to wear her own black mary-janes. Chuck couldn't help but snicker at the whole exchange as he finished dressing Molly.

"Just wait, you'll have your moment," Devon advised, in a half joking tone, "Many times over. Especially if she takes her queues from this one." He thrust a thumb towards his own daughter who was sitting on her bed, dress on, but pulling on a pair of white tights.

"Okay, I'm ready!" Clara chirped, hopping up to her feet after buckling the straps of her shoes.

When they had returned to the living room, Ellie was setting up the camera in the living room while Sarah and Emma helped by moving chairs and various items until Ellie was satisfied with the location of everything. Morgan and Alex were in the kitchen and dining room, Morgan stirring the gravy and Alex putting out the glasses and setting up a small side table with various drink options including sparkling cider, wine, and scotch. The girls' milk would be served to them just before they were to eat.

Ellie turned as the guys returned, their young charges either being held or leading the way, "Oh good, your back. I wanted to get some pictures before dinner, just in case." Everyone knew by now to not protest as Ellie made quick work of arranging everyone, setting the timer on the camera before taking her place by Devon and Clara. The girls were well behaved enough as Ellie made sure to get a picture of the big family, relenting and pulling Morgan and Alex in to a couple at Chuck's request, as well as the smaller family units of Sarah, Emma, and Molly; the three of them with Chuck; Chuck, Sarah, and Molly; the Woodcombs with and without Chuck, and then, since John and Kathleen had arrived amid the photo session, she made sure to get pictures of them and Alex; and lastly, Alex and Morgan together.

By the time all the pictures were taken, it was time to eat. The adults teamed up to bring all the side dishes to the table while Devon carried the bird to the head of the table where he offered John, as the most senior person there, the honor of carving the bird. Casey grumbled good naturedly at the young doctor about making him work on his day off and proceeded to cut into the bird, distributing white and dark meat to each plate that was passed to him. He even made a point of cutting up the pieces that were going to Clara and Molly into bite sized pieces they could easily pick up with a fork in Clara's case or fingers in the case of Molly.

Clara even was able to draw a rarely seen smile from the lips of the seasoned Marine when she accepted her plate back with a sweet, "Thank you Uncle Johnny."

"You're welcome, Miss Clara," He nodded to her and turned back to divvying up turkey for the adults. Once everyone had been served, he carried the bird back to the kitchen and, despite Ellie's protests that she could take care of it, made quick work of removing the remaining meat from the bird's bones and separating it out, by white and dark meat, into the Tupperware containers that had been set out for that purpose before resuming his seat at the table between his wife and daughter.

Emma said grace over the meal and everyone dug in, raving over how delectable everything was. As the hodgepodge family of Bartowskis, Woodcombs, Walkers, Grimes, and Caseys enjoyed their meal, they made their way around the table sharing what they were grateful for over the past year and their hopes for the future. The general feeling of love and warmth pervaded the home as they shared their meal and spoke, as they jumped from one conversation to the next.

After everyone had eaten their fill, the girls were changed back into their play clothes as the football game was turned on, immediately catching Devon and Casey's attention, who based on their close proximity were tapped as the main kid watchers of the group. The ladies had helped clear the table before Chuck and Morgan kicked them out of the kitchen to deal with separating and packing away the left overs and washing the dishes and bakeware. They then settled in the dining room, chatting amicably over glasses of wine.

Once the dishes were done for the time being, Chuck and Morgan flitted between the living room, catching snippets of the football game, playing with the girls, and socializing with the ladies. When the game had ended everyone gathered in the dining room once more to partake in dessert. Casey, Morgan, and Devon began refreshing drinks and grabbing a few fingers of scotch for themselves, while Ellie and Alex started bringing the pies and toppings into the dining room. Chuck took advantage of Sarah and Emma being distracted by the little girls to make a quick dash over to his condo, returning a few minutes later, just in time to see Ellie bring out the cake she had made and topped with a numeric 2 and 6.

"Before we start in on the desserts, I need to say something." Chuck announced, catching everyone's attention, "For those of you who are unaware, today is not only a day of giving thanks, but it also falls on a day that we celebrate one of the best women I know. I just wanted us to take this moment to acknowledge Sarah's birthday. Happy birthday, Baby."

Sarah blushed as all eyes fell on her and the family began to sing to her as Ellie lit the candles on the cake that sat in the center of all the desserts. She made her way toward the table, picking up Molly who had been hanging on her leg along the way and handing her off to Chuck who gladly accepted her. Once the song had concluded she smiled at her newly grown family and closed her eyes making a wish before blowing out her candles to the applause of the people around her.

"Before we cut the cake or the pies, there is one more thing," Chuck cut in once more, "You can't have a birthday without presents. It's a Bartowski rule." He smiled at his girlfriend who was giving him a curious look as he balanced Molly into his left arm while he reached into his back pocket with his right hand to withdraw a small purple mesh satchel that had been tied with a ribbon.

Sarah gasped at the gift that was presented to her as she accepted it and untied the ribbon. Reaching inside she drew out a delicate chain bracelet with a few charms on it. As she examined it closer, she found the charms to be a treble clef, an image of a beach, a pair of baby booties that had Molly's name and birthdate inscribed on the soles, and a key. She looked up in time to see Chuck hand Molly off to her grandmother before approaching her, taking the bracelet from her fingers, and securing it around her left wrist. Once he was sure the jewelry was securely fastened, he took her hand in his own.

"This is a tradition my dad started the day Ellie was born," He explained, trying not to be distracted by his older sister practically vibrating with excitement in the corner, "Since I missed the majority of Molly's life up to a few months ago, I figured your birthday would be the next best option. Each of these charms represent important milestones and things for us. The treble clef is our shared love of music, the beach represents both Catalina and Huntington Beaches. Of course, the shoes are for Molly, and I know I've said it before, but I think I bears saying with our family as witness. Although I wasn't there from her beginning, I love her as my own. I may not be her biological father, but it would be my honor to be her daddy for the rest of our lives."

"And the key?" Sarah tilted her head, eyes still meeting the intense hazel of his gaze.

"Well, that represents something has yet to happen," Chuck smiled down at her, "Sarah, will you and Molly move in with me? We can look for a place that's new for both of us, if you want, but I would love nothing more than for us to come home to each other every day."

The hopeful look in his eyes were nearly her undoing, and she knew there was only one answer to give him, "Yes, we will move in with you."

"Really?" His grin widened to nearly inhuman proportions.

"Mm-hmm!" She nodded, "We don't have to find a new place just yet; the condo is just the right size for our little family right now. We can worry about finding a new house when the time comes that we need it."

"I'll set the moving truck up for Sunday," Emma offered, breaking the moment between the young couple.

"It doesn't have to be that fast," Chuck protested, "Whenever you are ready, let me know."

"Sunday is fine, Mom," Sarah smiled over to her mom as she walked over and took Molly into her arms, "What do you think Baby Girl? Do you want to move in with Daddy?"

"Daddy!" Molly crowed, clapping her hands, "Mama and Molly live with Daddy!"

The little girl's exclamation made the adults chuckle at her enthusiasm. The joy and merriment held for the rest of the night as they enjoyed, cake, pie, and their favorite holiday movies, starting with 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,' then moving on to the classics once the girls fell asleep.

Several hours later, Chuck and Sarah made their way back to Chucks, now their, condo. After quickly changing Molly and dressing her in her pajamas, they laid her down in her pack'n'play before heading to their room to celebrate this next step in their relationship until the early hours of the morning when they drifted in to blissful sleep in each other's arms.


	18. Chapter 18

It didn't take long for Sarah and Molly to move into the condo. Sarah didn't have many things to move, as she had been living with her mother who owned most of the furniture in the house, leaving Sarah with only having to move her clothes, instruments, and other personal effects. Molly had more things to be moved than Sarah did. It had taken Chuck, Awesome, and Morgan half the day to dismantle, move, and rebuild Molly's crib, dresser, rocking chair, and other miscellaneous furniture along with her clothes, toys, and the toddler-friendly cups, dishes, and utensils that Sarah had amassed over the course of Molly's life.

Chuck had offered to take Sarah shopping so that they could decorate their home together, but she declined, saying that there was no reason to do so just yet. Truth be told, she was holding out until the day they outgrew their space and moved into a home that was theirs from the very beginning. She hoped that day would come sooner rather than later, but there were a couple milestones she wanted to achieve before that, like Chuck officially adopting Molly, getting engaged, and preferably married before adding to their little family. While the bracelet and keys she had received for her birthday, as well as Chuck assisting their lawyer in terminating Bryce's parental right, spoke to them moving in that general direction, she didn't want to assume anything. She'd been hurt too many times by her father, and then later Bryce, because she assumed the would always be around only to be heartbroken when they vanished from her life.

"I think we're just about done up there," Chuck kissed her on the cheek after descending the stairs from Molly's room, Devon and Morgan trailing behind him. "Molly's furniture is put together, clothes, toys, diapers, and other accessories are put away. All that's left to do is decorate it, if we want to. I assume while us menfolk were hard at work assembling furniture for the offspring, you were busy reorganizing our closet?"

Sarah couldn't help but chuckle at his phrasing, "Yeah, I'm unpacked, too." She stirred the tomato soup she had been heating up. "I'm going to make some grilled cheese, if you guys are hungry."

"I'm famished," Morgan sighed, "Do you need any help? I make a mean grilled cheese, if I do say so myself."

"I would appreciate that," Sarah gave her new friend a warm smile, "Devon, what about you?"

"Can I get a raincheck?" He gave her a hopeful smile, "Since we sent Clara to Anne's too keep Molly company, Ellie and I were hoping for a little one-on-one time if you get my meaning." He gave his pseudo sister-in-law a suggestive wink.

"Ugh, that's my sister you're talking about," Chuck protested, he had gotten over Devon's casual references to his and Ellie's sex life long ago, and only responded because it was expected of him to do so now. "I don't want to know about what you do with my sister behind closed doors."

"Would it be better to assume that your sister spontaneously conceived your future niece or nephew?" Devon challenged him good-naturedly.

Before Chuck could respond, a grin split Sarah's face, "Are you two trying for another one?"

"It's under consideration," Devon shrugged, "That is to say, we don't want to put too much pressure on ourselves, but we aren't doing anything to prevent getting pregnant, either."

"That's great," Sarah smiled at her best friend's husband, "I think I speak for both Chuck and I when I say we look forward to meeting your newest addition, whenever the day may be that one comes along."

"What she said," Chuck clapped his brother-in-law on the shoulder, "I don't want to hear about every time you are trying, but I am excited to be an uncle again someday. I know Clara will be a great big sister, if how she takes care of Molly is any indication."

"Thanks, Bro," Devon gave Chuck an appreciative smile, "Well, I'd better head out, Ellie is expecting me home." After exchanging hugs with Chuck and Sarah and a handshake with Morgan, he headed off across the courtyard, an excited bounce to his step that his brother-in-law tried not to notice.

"So, you were saying something about lunch?" Chuck turned back to his girlfriend and best friend who had already turned their attentions back to the stove and were finishing up with the soup and sandwiches that would make up their meal.

Wanting to seem as if he were contributing, Chuck pulled down dishes and bowls, stacking them next to the stove to make it easier to serve up the meal, then set the table with spoons, glasses with ice, and napkins. He then returned to the kitchen to grab a bag of goldfish crackers he'd bought when he'd picked up the tomato soup, and cans of soda, grape for Morgan and cola for himself and Sarah, carrying everything out to the table. By the time he'd finished pouring their drinks, Sarah and Morgan had finished cooking lunch and were carrying plates of sandwiches and steaming bowls of soup to the table.

After the cool temperature they'd endured while moving that morning, the warm food hit the spot. After they'd finished off the last of the soup and cleaned up the kitchen, Morgan excused himself saying that he had plans with Alex. He gave them quick hugs before grabbing his jacket and heading out.

"So," Chuck pulled Sarah to him by her hips, smiling as she looped her arms around his neck and looked up at him expectantly, "Devon and Morgan are gone, and Molly is at the babysitter's with her cousin, and will be until later this afternoon. It appears we have the house to ourselves for the time being."

"Hmm," Sarah let her fingers play through the soft curls in his hair, her charm bracelet, which she had rarely taken off since it had been given to her, making soft tinkling noises in her boyfriend's ear, "You know, I might have a few ideas on how we might pass the time."

"Really," Chuck teased, leaning down to press soft kisses along her jawline and neck as he spoke, "Because I have a few idea of my own. Perhaps we could compare and see where our plans coincide and deviate."

"So long as some of that coinciding occurs in our bedroom," She purred as he nibbled a particularly sensitive spot where her neck and shoulder met, "I think I rather like your plan."

"Me too," He grinned, lifting his girlfriend up, as she squealed and wrapped her legs around his waist, and carried her up the stairs to their room where they took their time, enjoying the spoils of a kid-free afternoon.

* * *

"Explain to me again why we are going to the BuyMore to get the girls' Santa pictures taken?" Sarah asked as she slipped a green and red sweater over Molly's head.

"It's been family tradition since Clara's first Christmas," Chuck gave a slight shrug. "Playing Santa is the highlight of Big Mike's year, it's the one thing he says makes being the manager of the store worth it. He supported not only Morgan's and my dream to get into the gaming industry but has supported and mentored so many of his employees to follow their dreams. Have you ever heard of Jeffster?"

"That tone-deaf cover band with the inexplicable following in Germany?" Sarah arched an eyebrow as she tied a pair of little red converse sneakers onto Molly's feet.

"That would be them," He chuckled at the apt description, "They were members of the Nerd Herd at the Burbank BuyMore. I worked with them over the summers during college, really strange guys. Mike found out that they had a dream of making it big and took it upon himself to be their manager since he had a little experience in the music industry when he was younger, something to do with Earth, Wind, and Fire, I dunno."

"I don't know if I should be impressed or concerned," Sarah snickered.

"Both, maybe?" Chuck shrugged, "Anyway, many a BuyMoron, both current and former who have worked for Big Mike, makes it a point to bring the younger generation, whether that be their own offspring, siblings, or siblings' offspring, to visit with Santa Big Mike during the holiday season. What makes it even better is that Mrs. Big Mike will come in to play Mrs. Santa. They only open Santa's Village on the weekends since Big Mike refuses to play Santa unless his wife is there alongside him."

"That's actually kinda sweet," Sarah smiled softly, lifting Molly to her hip, "Could you grab her diaper bag?"

"Sure," Chuck nodded, grabbing the bag and following her downstairs to wait on his sister and her family to join them for the trip to BuyMore. "I hear that the tradition has begun to spread to other vendors in the mall. Lou and George are planning to take their son to Big Mike for this first ever Santa pictures and apparently a couple of the ladies from Underpants Etc. are bringing their kids too."

"That will certainly make Big Mike's day," Sarah nodded, "I've only known Gladys a short time, and she loves kids so much, I think it's a shame that they were never able to have any of their own. Not for lack of trying, according to her."

"They did foster for a while back in Irvine, but all their placements either wound up moving on or being able to reunite with their birth parents." Chuck gave her a sad smile, "They couldn't afford a private adoption on an associate teacher's and assistant store manager's salary, so they turned their love and support toward their nephews, Mrs. Tucker's students, and Big Mike's employees. Kids like Morgan and I were double blessed because we got both of them, even Ellie benefited from their attentions. They knew she took over raising me after Dad left so they worked with Mrs. Grimes to make sure we had what we needed to get by. She doesn't know that I know, but they always made sure she got a little something special every Christmas and birthday. When she graduated with her medical degree, they gave her a pretty nice Timex watch. Originally, they were going to special order a doctor's coat for her with her name embroidered on it but had found out that Devon was planning to propose, and they wanted to give her something that she could use if she decided to change her name."

"That makes sense," Sarah nodded.

"They also gifted Moran and I with pretty nice watches when we graduated college too," Chuck smiled at the memory, "Since the precedent had been set."

"Is that why you and Morgan have the matching Bulova watches?" Sarah nodded toward the silver watch on his left wrist.

"Yeah, Morgan earned his bachelor's degree around the same time I earned my master's," Chuck nodded, "Around the same time the local department store was running a buy one, get one half off, special on some of their mid-range watches. All the watches are engraved on the backing with our school, degree, and graduation year."

"That was a sweet gesture," Sarah agreed as she heard a knock on their door, "Knowing all that, I can understand why you want to give back to him in a way for the support he's given your family. I love this family tradition already and look forward to looking back as our kids get older at their pictures with Santa Big Mike."

"Me too," Chuck smiled at her as he opened the door to his sister, brother-in-law, and niece who was wearing a red and green striped sweater with jeans and a pair green converse shoes. As Sarah followed him out of the house and waited for him to shut the door, Chuck and Devon shared a look as they realized their daughters had been dressed in mirror images of each other by their mothers. "I take it you're ready to go?"

"Yeah," Ellie nodded, and they started toward the parking lot, "And I have another shirt and pair of shoes for Clara for the tree farm."

"I can't wait to go see Santa!" Clara enthused, "I know just what I'm gonna ask him for!"

"That's great Clare Bear," He grinned at the excited little girl. "Are you going to help Molly with talking to Santa?"

"Yep!" Clara beamed, "She doesn't have a big sister to teach her, but that's okay. Mom says a bigger cousin is just as good as a big sister."

"Oh, did she?" Chuck gave his sister a meaningful look only to be met with a superior look from his older sister. Shaking his head with a chuckle, he unlocked Sarah's Corsica so she could get Molly belted in.

Devon had likewise unlocked the minivan and waited for Clara to climb in and take a seat in her booster. She had recently been upgraded from a car seat and was proud that she was able sit in a booster like some of her classmates. She also had learned pretty quickly how to fasten and unfasten her own seatbelt, not that Devon and Ellie didn't still double check that it was latched correctly every time she belted herself in.

Once both girls were securely buckled in, the adults climbed into their own vehicles. Devon and Chuck fired up their engines and exchanged a, "See you there," Before pulling out of their spaces and caravanning to the BuyMore Plaza so that the girls could share their Christmas wish lists with Santa.

* * *

When they had arrived at the BuyMore and joined the line for Santa's Village, Clara had insisted she hold Molly's hand as they waited, making the point that when it was their turn, that the grown ups weren't allowed in Santa's village. Since none of the adults could argue with her statement, Sarah set Molly down on the ground, eliciting a promise from her young niece that she would not let go of the smaller girl's hand until they were sitting on Santa's lap for their pictures.

"I promise, Aunt Sarah," Clara nodded solemnly, crossing her finger over her heart before taking her cousin's hand. Thankfully there were only a few families in front of them, so the wait wasn't so long as to test the little girls' patience.

"Ho, ho, ho, who do we have here?" The rotund Santa Big Mike smiled through his thick white beard, "Is that Clara and her cousin Molly?"

"You remembered me?" Clara looked up at him, "And you know Molly?"

"Of course, I know you and Molly," Santa Big Mike assured her waving the girls over and sitting them on his lap, one on each knee, "And I've been watching you. You have both been very good this year, and I am very proud of you, Clara. You have been such a good cousin to young Molly here."

"Thank you," Clara blushed at the compliment.

"Now, what would you like for Christmas?" Santa Big Mike asked. Clara shot a look toward the adults and waved for Santa Big Mike to lean in closer so she could whisper in his ear. The adults watched as the older man nodded along with Clara and then told her he would see what he could do. "Now Molly, do you want anything for Christmas?"

Molly looked up at the man silently taking him in before Clara cut in, "She's still learning," She advised, "She really likes playing with my dolls and tea set, so maybe you could bring her some of her own?"

"That's a very good idea, Clara," Santa Big Mike agreed. "Now I think Mrs. Santa wants to get a picture with us. Can you girl smile at the camera?"

He pointed to where a sales associate in an elf costume stood behind a tripod. The girls faced the camera, and Big Mike lightly tickled their sides to get them to laugh as the picture was being taken. He set the girl's back on the ground with a soft directive to be good before Mrs. Santa gave them each a candy cane and walked them over to where their parents were waiting. Sarah and Ellie took the girls to the restroom to be changed for their trip to the tree farm while Devon and Chuck purchased and received copies of the girls' Santa picture.

Once the ladies had returned, the girls now dressed in sweatshirts, warm coats, and boots, they walked back to their cars and loaded up for the 30-minute drive to the local tree farm. Chopping down a fresh tree had been one of the few Christmas traditions, aside from opening up their pajamas on Christmas Eve that Chuck and Ellie had continued after both their parents left and were so glad that they were able to continue the tradition with their own families. Just as Awesome had been from the first Christmas he'd joined them; Sarah was excited to experience this tradition with them.

Christmas had never held really great memories for Sarah as a kid since it usually involved scamming some charity or the local Salvation Army chapter. She only had a couple Christmases with her Mom after they'd been reunited before she left for college, and while they were a vast improvement over the years before, she always felt like something was missing. She looked back on those two years fondly, remembering assembling and decorating the fake tree her mom pulled down from the attic, and baking Christmas cookies, even opening a few gifts on Christmas day. She was looking forward to experiencing her first Bartowski Christmas, and the first one that Molly was old enough to enjoy.

She was broken from her thoughts as she felt Chuck reach across the console and take her hand, squeezing it gently, allowing the warmth of his hand to permeate her skin starting from her fingertips and spreading throughout her whole body. In the weeks since she'd moved in and as they prepared for the upcoming holiday, they'd discussed their experiences with Christmas throughout their lives, and she knew Chuck had shared a little bit with his sister. The Bartowski siblings had not made it a secret that their goal this year was to heart-warm her and make this the best Christmas ever for her, and the first of many great Christmases to come.

Once they'd parked and crossed the parking lot to the farm proper, the ducked into the barn to get hot chocolate before joining the hayride, which ran every 15 minutes. Chuck and Devon kept an eye out for where they might be able to find a couple good trees as their daughters 'helped' by pointing out a few contenders. Once the hayride had returned to the barn, they loaded up in the car and the van to select a couple trees to cut down. Luckily, the two they had settled on were fairly close to one another, and while Sarah and Ellie kept the girls entertained, Devon and Chuck made quick work of taking a bow saw to the trunk of the trees they would be taking home with them.

After lightly tying the trees to the roofs of their respective vehicles they made their way back to where the trees would be weighed and evaluated. Clara and Molly took great enjoyment over watching as their trees were placed on a stand as one of the farmers held the tree up and hit a switch that made the tree start to shake, leaving a halo of needles on the ground around the tree. Once the trees were paid for, Clara and Molly were loaded back into their seats as the adults made quick work of securing the trees to the top of the vehicles before getting in the cars and heading back to Burbank.

Since they knew everyone in the complex, Chuck and Devon knew they could leave the trees outside for a while as they knew that they wouldn't be decorating the trees until the next day. Not to mention that it was already getting dark since it was nearly dinner time and the girls were worn out from the excitement of the day. It was deemed best to feed and bathe the girls and put them to bed rather than keep them up for much longer which would most likely lead to one or both of them having a meltdown borne of exhaustion.

This was also amenable to the adults as they, too, were tired and waiting until the next day to decorate, it also gave them time to rearrange their living rooms to accommodate the trees they had just purchased. While Sarah and Ellie saw to their daughters, Chuck and Devon saw to the furniture and placing the trees into their stands and moved into their designated areas of the living rooms. Once their preparations were complete, they went their separate ways to kiss their daughters good night and join their respective significant others for a quiet dinner before turning in to sleep off the eventful day.


	19. Chapter 19

December seemed to fly by as the days shortened. As Christmas and the New Year was rapidly approaching the Echo Park Condos were a flurry of activity, especially the Woodcomb and Bartowski condos as the residents were in and out of each other's homes to decorate trees and cookies, enjoy comfortable evenings watching their favorite Christmas movies, and enjoy the season as a family.

Amid all the bustle, Emma's cast was able to come off and she had started her physical therapy which was located on the medical campus of the hospital and was quickly regaining her strength. By the time Christmas Eve had arrived, her physical therapist had given her permission to return to rounds, but with restrictions. Restrictions or not, Emma was just glad to do more than file paperwork all day and was eager to get back to doing rounds.

On the heels of a long day that had started with large influx of patients due to a multiple car accident on the I-5, Ellie was called in to the Pediatric ward to consult on a child who had sustained a brain injury under suspicious circumstances. Entering the room, she found a woman with shoulder length dirty blond hair wearing a forest green scrub top with 'Merry Grinchmas' written in a lighter shade of green and pictures of Dr. Seuss's Grinch scattered over top of it, a pair of black scrub pants, and a pair of comfortable black sneakers. The woman finished hanging an IV bag, adjusted the flow calibrator, then picked up the patient file, making some notes before turning to see Ellie standing in the door.

"Ellie," The older woman smiled at her, "I didn't hear your come in."

"The door was open," She shrugged and held out her hand for the file, flipping it over and looking over the notes contained within, "I was called down for this little guy, what can you tell me?"

"Poor little bubba," Emma sighed, "His grandma called emergency services this morning after receiving a call from her daughter. From what I heard; Grandma has long suspected her son-in-law has been being physically abusive to her daughter. Never touched the kids before, so she says, but that seems to have changed and he went off on Bubba here."

Ellie nodded, looking over the file which had catalogued the physical injuries the boy had sustained, mumbling as she read the chart which showed the kid had been given a light sedative upon admission so that the medical staff could treat him.

"Sedation should wear off soon," Emma advised, "Based on his age and weight, maybe a half hour or so?"

"Okay," Ellie nodded, "I'm going to have him taken down to imaging to get a MRI and a CAT scan, and we'll go from there."

Emma nodded and let Ellie know she would schedule transport as soon as the kid came around. Since Ellie was closest to the door, she followed the young doctor out of the room. "Alright, I'll give you a call when he's on his way."

"Thanks, Emma," Ellie nodded with a warm smile, "Hey, what time are your off?"

"Not too late," Emma shrugged, "5:30, assuming all goes well."

Ellie checked her watch and nodded, "Well, if you want to, you can join us for dinner. Chuck, Sarah, and Molly are coming over to eat dinner and make one last batch of Christmas cookies before Santa comes tonight."

"Sounds like fun," Emma smiled, "I'll swing by the house to change after my shift and meet you at yours."

"Good," Ellie grinned, "I'll see you tonight, if not sooner."

"See you then," Emma waved at her as they returned to their rounds. Forty-five minutes later, she was calling Ellie to let her know their patient was on his way to imaging and a half hour after that, she was clocking out and heading home to change.

Dressed in jeans and a comfortable Christmas sweater, Emma loaded her bags into the trunk of her new 2004 silver Camry and set off toward Echo Park. Since she was already planning to join the family the next morning, when Chuck and Sarah heard she was coming to dinner, they invited her to stay in Chuck's den which had a convertible sofa, so she didn't have to drive back and forth between her house and the condo.

"Geeze, Mom," Sarah chuckled when she opened the door, "What did you do; bring the whole house?"

"No, only half," Emma smiled and pulled her daughter into a hug, "It's mostly presents for you kids and the grandbabies."

"You only have one of those," Sarah pointed out, helping Emma store her bags.

"Clara's an honorary grandbaby," Emma shrugged.

"Uh huh…" Sarah gave her mother a wry smile, "You just couldn't help yourself, you just had to spoil both of them."

"Grandmother's prerogative," Emma retorted, patting her daughter on the cheek, "Now where is the at handsome hunny of yours and Molly?"

"Getting washed up and changed," Sarah rolled her eyes, good naturedly, "Someone thought it would be a fun idea to let the baby play with finger paint an hour before we had to meet their family for dinner."

"Just to be clear, 'someone' is me," Chuck added, descending the stairs, a freshly washed and changed Molly in his arms, "And he is very sorry for the bad parental decision."

"All new parents make mistakes," Emma gave him a faux pitying look, "That's how we learn, isn't it?"

"Yes, Emma," Chuck bowed his head as if contrite for his decision.

"Good, now give me my grandbaby, you've hogged her long enough," Emma stretched out her arms to receive a smiling Molly into her arms.

"Daddy and me made pretty orn-ments," Molly announced proudly and pointed to the table where there were several plastic ball ornaments with a multitude of colors, some all one color, others a clash of colors, there were even a few that were an odd shade of brownish green, what Sarah used to call oobleck, that only occurs when the whole paint palate is mixed together.

"I see, which ones are yours?" She asked and then held tight when Molly tried to scramble down to pick up the still-wet decorations. "No, Sweetheart, point, don't touch, they're still wet."

"Okay, Grammy," Molly nodded, her Cindy Lou Who-esque pigtails bouncing with the motion. Emma was appropriately impressed by the ornaments that Molly indicated she had helped her Daddy make.

"We should probably get going," Sarah advised, pulling on a jacket and retrieving a much smaller one from the hall closet for Molly. "Ellie is expecting us to be there soon."

"Best not to make the crazy Christmas fiend wait," Chuck snickered, pulling on his own coat and waited while Sarah and Emma worked in tandem to get Molly's jacket on her. Soon they were making the short walk across the courtyard to his sister's door.

"Hey, come on in!" Ellie smiled at them when she answered the door, "Devon is almost done with dinner."

"It smells delicious in here," Emma remarked as she entered the condo.

"Chuck, could you go help Devon bring everything out to the dining room?" Ellie nodded toward the kitchen.

"Sure, Elle," Chuck smiled and headed off to the kitchen were Devon was attempting to remove a spiral cut ham from the crockpot as it continued to fall apart. "I like my meat falling off the bone, but that's a bit much, isn't it?"

"It cooked faster than I'd expected," Devon shrugged scooping a few more slices onto a serving plate. "While I'm doing this, Bro, would you mind pulling the green bean casserole and sweet potatoes out of the oven?"

"No prob," Chuck picked up the oven mitt and potholder that sat next to the stove and proceeded to pull the casserole dishes from the oven, setting them on the stovetop, "Do you want me to take these into the dining room?"

"That would be awesome," Devon gave him a grin as he scooped the last of the ham out of the crockpot. "I'll be right behind you."

"Alright, soups on!" Chuck announced carrying the green bean casserole out to the dining room and setting it down on the table in front of where Ellie and Clara were sitting.

"Uncle Chuck, that isn't soup!" Clara giggled.

"It's not?" Chuck looked at her wide eyed, "Oh, well my mistake." He gave her a wink and ducked back into the kitchen to return with the sweet potatoes, followed by Devon with the ham.

Devon and Chuck quickly served up small portions to their daughters before taking their seats at the ends of the table. Once the adults had served themselves, dinner started in earnest with various conversations being shared around the table.

"An interesting thing happened today at the end of my shift," Emma started, not realizing that her timing had her speaking just as the other conversations had quieted and wound up with the eyes of all the other adults on her. An awkward silence settled over the table before Chuck decided to break the silence.

"So, Emma, what happened?" He looked at his prospective mother-in-law as he scooped up a bit of sweet potato along with a bit of ham and took his time chewing.

"I was finishing up my paperwork when Bethany Callaway came by the nurses' station looking for me," Emma continued. Ellie and Devon's eyes went wide upon hearing the name of the hospital's Director of Nursing. "There was a recent opening in the NICU, and she was wanting to know if I'd consider it. She said the position is a specialist position and she's looking for an Acute Care Specialist or a Nurse Practitioner to help take some of the less critical cases off the doctors and support the nursing staff."

"Is that something you might be interested in?" Ellie inquired. "I mean you seem to really enjoy pediatrics and that position, especially in the NICU is really stressful."

"I told Bethany I'd think about it and I'm seriously considering taking it," Emma nodded it, "I loved my NICU rotations when I was in nursing school and again when I did my nursing clinicals, there just wasn't an opening at any of the hospitals and Westside was looking for a nurse in Pediatrics."

"My buddy Shawn Newsom is one of the NICU doctors over there," Devon spoke up, "He was telling me how overwhelmed they are over there since Kathy retired."

"And I still have at least 15 years left in me," Emma pointed out, "I think I can really do some good there."

"Mom, what is a nick-u?" Clara looked at her mother.

"It's a special area of the hospitals for babies who are really sick or really tiny and need to stay in the hospital until they are strong enough to go home." Ellie explained, "A lot of times it takes weeks or months until their moms and dads can take them home. Emma would be helping their families by taking care of the babies and teaching their families the best way to hold them."

Clara nodded her understanding then turned to Emma, "Grammy Emma, you should do it." She stated earnestly, "If I had to be in the hospital for a long time, I'd want a gramma to snuggle me, and you give the best gramma snuggles."

"Well, there you have it," Chuck smiled, "You have to take the job now, didn't you hear, those babies are in desperate need of gramma snuggles."

"Seriously, mom," Sarah met her mother's eyes over the table, "You should take it. You love pediatrics, but your passion has always been for NICU work."

"I appreciate the support," Emma nodded.

"Hey, that's what family does," Ellie laid a hand on the older woman's forearm, "When do you need to give your final decision?"

"After the New Year," Emma informed them, "So I have about a week before I have to let them know."

"It sounds to me like you've already made up your mind," Devon observed, "But if you are still unsure, maybe see if you can pick up a shift or two I the NICU and PICU and see if that's still where your heart lays."

"That's not a bad idea," Emma nodded, "I'll see if they can squeeze me into a few shifts."

"Alright, enough shop talk," Ellie announced, "I think it's time to clean up dinner and decorate cookies while listening to Christmas music."

"Can we use sprinkles?" Clara asked eagerly, "Santa loves sprinkles."

"Sounds like Santa is gonna chip a tooth this year," Chuck murmured to Sarah who laughed at his cheekiness.

"Yeah, so long as we don't go too overboard," Ellie agreed, "We want Santa to be able to eat the cookies. Clara while the grownups are cleaning up from dinner, could you go get a couple of your craft shirts for you and Molly to wear?"

"Okay, mom," Clara slid out of her seat, helped Molly out of hers, and the two girls set off toward Clara's room.

Once the girls were out of earshot, the parents made quick work of cleaning up from dinner. Chuck and Sarah washed the dishes as Devon, Ellie, and Emma put away the leftovers.

"So, what's the plan for presents?" Chuck gave his sister a brief glance over his shoulder, hands deep in the soapy water as he washed.

"Same as every other year, but a little different since we both have kids now," Ellie shrugged, "I already have the family pajamas wrapped and under the tree and will put out the rest of the family and Santa gifts once Clara goes to bed."

"That's kinda what I was talking about, Sis," Chuck pointed out, "Should we do all gifts here or Santa gifts at our individual places then meet up for brunch and opening up the rest of the presents?"

"What have you done in the past?" Emma inquired looking between the two siblings.

"We've always opened our pajamas on Christmas Eve and exchanged the rest of our gifts on Christmas day." Chuck handed a plate to Sarah to dry off with the towel she had thrown over her shoulder.

"Only things that have changed over the years have been waiting for the Chuckster to get here after he moved out and waiting to watch The Twilight Zone until Clara went down for her nap after brunch and then to bed later that night," Devon added, "Clara knows we wait for him to open presents but can get into her stocking while she waits."

"Okay," Emma nodded as she gave the situation some thought.

"I think we should do everything together," Sarah turned to look at the other adults, "We may not always live this close, might as well take advantage of our proximity while we still can. Honestly it isn't that difficult to walk across the courtyard to open presents. Molly is so young, she's not quite to the stage of demanding to open her gifts first thing in the morning and won't be disappointed if there aren't presents under our tree. Why don't we just put all the gifts under your tree, since you have the larger living room and we join you in the morning?"

"I agree with Sarah," Chuck gave his girlfriend a smile. "Once the girls are both asleep, I can bring over all the gifts from our place, say around 10 just to make sure that Clara is asleep, and help with any assembly that still need to be done on the girls' gifts."

"Not a bad idea," Devon nodded, "It would be awesome to get help putting that bike together."

"And we got Molly a trike that still needs to be put together," Chuck shrugged.

"That's settled then," Emma confirmed, "Once the girls go to bed, we'll put all the gifts under Devon and Ellie's tree once the girls are asleep. And then get together to open presents at eight a.m?"

"Better make it seven," Ellie countered, "Clara is pretty patient for her age, but she is only five…"

Emma chuckled, "Good point, seven it is."

Once their plans were settled, the adults finished up their cleanup effort and Ellie pulled out the pre-cut and baked sugar cookies along with a few bows into which she portioned out a bit of buttercream frosting and, after taking a poll on which colors to use, added food coloring before handing a bowl to each of the adults to stir.

The kitchen table was cleared of all decorations and covered with a plastic tablecloth before the cookies, frosting, sprinkles, and other decorating utensils such as plastic knives, to spread the frosting with, were set out. Almost as if waiting for their cue, Clara who had one of her dad's old UCLA t-shirts on came back into the dining room holding Molly, who was decked out in one of Ellie's old high school spirit t-shirts, by the hand.

"I helped Molly get her shirt on," Clara announced proudly.

"And you did a wonderful job," Ellie praised, "You are such a good big cousin."

"If I'm a really good big cousin, does that mean I can have a baby sister?" She asked hopefully, big blue puppy dog eyes aimed directly at her parents who looked a little uncomfortable for a minute as Chuck, Sarah, and Emma tried to hold back their snickers at the precocious child's inquiry.

"Tell you what, Clare Bear," Devon recovered first, "We'll think about it."

"Babies take a long time to come, though," Ellie added, "So you will need to be patient."

"But Uncle Chuck got a baby right away," Clara protested.

The younger adults were at a loss as to how to explain this to the little girl, but Emma gave them a reassuring smile and held out her hand to the girl, "Clara, come here," Clara followed her, still clutching Molly's hand in her own as Emma took a seat on the couch, lifting Molly into her lap and indicating for Clara to sit beside her. "I know it seems like your uncle got a baby right away, but that's just because Molly was already here when he met her and her mom. Sarah had to wait almost a year for Molly to be born when she found out she was coming. Just like your mom had to wait a long time for you to come along, but no matter how long they take to get here, it's worth the wait. I have no doubt that when the time comes you will be a great big sister and will teach Molly to be a wonderful older cousin like you are. I know it's hard to wait, sweetheart, but I promise when the day comes it won't seem very long at all. Until then, you can practice by helping Molly and teaching her how to be a smart, funny, wonderful little girl like you are."

"Okay, Grammy Emma," Clara nodded, "I can do that."

"I'm glad," Emma smiled, "Now, why don't you start by showing her how to decorate the best kind of Christmas cookies?"

"Okay!" Clara hopped down and waited for Emma to set Molly on the floor before the girls went running into the dining room to make cookies under the watchful eyes of their parents.

"You know, you were really good at explaining that to Clara," Sarah spoke softly as she wrapped an arm around her mother's shoulders, giving her a light squeeze.

"To be honest, I've had that talk, or something like it, waiting in the wings since you were a little girl," Emma gave her only child a warm smile, "But your dad took you off on your adventure before you ever started asking those kind of questions."

"Well, I'm glad I finally got to hear it," Sarah kissed her mother's cheek, "Now why don't we join in on the decorating, it looks like a lot of fun." She gestured to where Clara was showing Molly the best way to put sprinkles on a cookie. After the cookies were decorated and he favorites picked out and plated up to be put out for Santa, the family gathered in the living room to open one present each.

"So," Ellie spoke up as Chuck handed out the packages, "This is an old Bartowski tradition, on Christmas Eve we each open one gift before going to bed to wait for Santa to come. Go ahead an open them."

Everyone tore into their packages, the girls got night gowns, Clara's was red, green, and white plaid and Molly's was red, green, and black. The parents all got matching pajama pants as their daughters along with red long-sleeved t-shirts for the Woodcombs and green shirts for Chuck and Sarah. Emma's pajama pants were navy blue with a white snowflake pattern and a navy long-sleeved t-shirt with a snowman on the front.

"Can Molly I and wear our jammies now?" Clara asked eagerly.

"How about we all go change into our Christmas jammies before we watch our movie?" Elie suggested.

"We're going to go back to our place to change and we'll be back," Chuck informed his sister as he scooped up Molly into his arms while Sarah gathered their pajamas and followed him across the parking lot. A short time later found them back in the Woodcomb's living room and watching 'A Charlie Brown Christmas.'

The moment that the disillusioned Charlie demands to be told what Christmas is about, Emma leaned over to Sarah, "This has always been my favorite part." The whole family sat in rapt silence as Linus began reciting the famous Biblical lines from the Book of Luke.

By the time the kids make Charlie Brown's bedraggled tree beautiful, both girls are fast asleep curled up in their parent's arms. Devon carried Clara up to her room while Chuck gathered Molly in his arms, thanking his sister in a soft voice for a great Christmas Eve and promising to be back in a little bit to help with putting out gifts. Once they were sure that both girls were down for the count, Emma stayed back with Molly while Chuck and Sarah returned, with the gifts from them and Emma, to Ellie and Awesome's home. Ellie and Sarah set to work stacking up the colorfully wrapped gifts under the tree while Chuck and Devon were hard at work assembling the bikes for the girls as well. It only took about an hour to finish up their covert holiday set up, and after exchanging quick hugs, Chuck and Sarah departed and all the adults went to bed, looking forward to the events of the next day.


	20. Chapter 20

"What time is it?" Sarah groaned into her boyfriend's shoulder when his alarm started going off.

"Seven-fifteen," Chuck murmured, pressing a kiss to her head as he turned off the alarm.

"'S too early," Sarah pouted, snuggling deeper into Chuck's embrace.

"We have to be at Ellie and Awesome's by eight," Chuck reminded her, "Which means making sure your mom and our daughter are awake and ready to head over. At least we don't have to change out of our oh-so-festive Christmas jammies just yet."

"Thank God for small favors," Sarah sighed, but still did not move.

"Ellie will have cinnamon rolls and coffee waiting when we get there," He sing-songed.

"Okay, okay, I'm up," Sarah rolled off of him and slowly sat up. "You get the munchkin and I'll go wake Mom."

"Okay," Chuck slid out of bed and started for the door but paused and turned back. Walking over to where Sarah now stood, taking out her ponytail in preparation to redo it. Wrapping her in his arms, he pressed a warm kiss to her lips, "Before I forget, Merry Christmas."

"Hmmm," She sighed, leaning in for another kiss, "Merry Christmas."

"Okay, I'm off to wake Molly," Chuck gave her a quick squeeze and a warm smile before exiting the room.

It didn't take long for Sarah to brush out her hair and pull it back once more. She quickly brushed her teeth and soon she was heading downstairs to the den only to find the door open and her mom not in there.

"Looking for me?" Emma gave her a warm smile as she exited the hall bathroom where she had ducked to freshen up.

"Yeah, we're gonna head over to Ellie and Devon's in a little bit." Sarah reminded her, "Chuck is upstairs waking Molly and getting her ready to go."

"Alright," Emma nodded, "I'll be ready to go in a minute."

"Great," Sarah smiled, stepping out of her mom's way. Once Emma had gone back into the den to retrieve her shoes, Sarah went back upstairs to pack Molly's diaper bag figuring that they could get her dressed at the Woodcombs and lay her down for her nap before dashing back to their place to get dressed for the rest of the day.

When Chuck had gotten to Molly's room, he couldn't help but smile. His little girl was already standing in her crib eyes drowsily blinking up at him as she lifted her arms to be picked up. He quickly scooped her up into his arms, pressing a kiss to her cheek before laying her down on the changing table. He had just finished changing her diaper and was brushing her hair into pigtails when Sarah came into the room. She kissed the little girl and wished her a Merry Christmas before grabbing the diaper bag from the dresser and double checking they had enough supplies to last them through the day and added a change of clothes and shoes to the bag.

"Hey, can you take her downstairs so I can brush my teeth and deal with this whole situation?" Chuck handed Molly over to Sarah and gestured to his curls which were sticking up at weird, or weirder than usual, angles.

"Yeah," Sarah accepted the little girl into her arms, "Mom's up, so we'll meet you downstairs."

"Thanks," Chuck gave her a small smile before heading back to their room to brush his teeth and wet his hands to run them through his hair in an attempt to tame his curls somewhat until later when they came back to get dressed for the day when he planned to take a quick shower. He was soon joining the ladies downstairs where Emma held Molly while Sarah and he slid on their shoes. A moment later they were shrugging on coats to make the short trek across the courtyard to Ellie and Awesome's condo.

"Merry Christmas!" Clara shouted, throwing open the door for her aunt, uncle, cousin, and honorary Grammy.

"Merry Christmas," They chorused back.

"Mommy and Daddy made me wait all day to open my presents until you got here," Clara huffed.

"It was hardly all day," Ellie rolled her eyes, giving them hugs and wishing them a Merry Christmas, "But she has been eager for you to get here. Molly's stocking is on the hearth and there is coffee, milk, orange juice, champagne, fruit, and cinnamon rolls in the kitchen, help yourselves. Once you have your food and drinks, we'll settle in, to open presents."

"I can take Molly into the living room to help her with her stocking if you wouldn't mind getting me a little coffee and a cinnamon roll," Emma offered, "Sarah knows how I take my coffee."

The young couple nodded their agreement and ducked into the kitchen to fix up breakfast for the four of them. Sarah poured coffees for herself, Chuck, and Emma and a sippy cup with milk for Molly while Chuck made quick work of plating up cinnamon rolls, including the half piece that was left over after Clara had eaten her half of the treat, and fruit. Devon was already in the kitchen, warming up his and Ellie's coffees when they'd entered and offered to help Chuck carry out the plates he'd made up.

When they'd gotten back to the living room and settled on the couch, they saw Clara helping Molly examine the contents of her stocking. The adults quickly ate their breakfast, slipping bite-sized pieces of cinnamon roll and fruit to Molly and Clara. As they were finishing up, Ellie ducked into the kitchen, returning with a damp washrag, quickly wiping off the hands and faces of the little girls and offering the cloth to the adults who quickly wiped the sticky icing from the rolls off of their hands.

"Can we open presents now?" Clara pleaded, turning her big blue-green eyes on her father.

"Yeah, we can open presents now," Devon got up just as Chuck did, "Not this year, Chuck. I know it's your turn, but it's your first Christmas as a dad, you enjoy it with your girls. You can hand out gifts next year."

"Thanks, Devon," Chuck smiled at his brother-in-law as he retook his seat, "That's really awesome of you."

"Indeed," Devon gave him a winsome grin before taking a seat next to the tree, "So we go from youngest to oldest, opening one at a time until they are all handed out," He explained for the benefit of the Walker ladies before turning and pulling out a package and handing it to Chuck who called Molly over to open her gift from Santa, an Elmo stuffed toy.

Next was Clara, who also had received a Santa gift, a Hannah Montana karaoke set. Sarah then opened a gift from Ellie, a beautiful scarf with matching gloves and a hat since the family was planning a trip to go play in the snow at Big Bear the next weekend. Chuck got a Dodger's jersey from Devon, who informed him that he'd already gotten tickets for the two of them as well as tickets for everyone on family day for the upcoming season. Ellie got a new stethoscope from Emma who had shrugged and said that she'd noticed that Ellie's had been getting a little worn out. Chuck gave Awesome a new set of climbing gear which earned him a frustrated eye roll from his older sister, one that was duplicated by his girlfriend when he mentioned going climbing with Awesome once the weather warmed up. Lastly, Emma opened her gift, which was from Chuck and Sarah, a compilation of poetry by her favorite author.

This continued until all the adults had received their gifts and then a few more rounds beyond until all the girl's gifts were unwrapped. Once the last package was opened Clara and Molly turned to start playing with their new toys.

"Girls, you both have one more present," Devon informed them, nodding to Chuck, who followed him onto he back porch. The men returned a moment later with the bike, fitted with training wheels, and the trike they had assembled, both bedecked with pink and purple streamers. Clara's eyes widened.

"A bike?!" She squealed excitedly in a near perfect imitation of how her mother tended to express joy.

"Yes, but you have to wear your helmet when you ride," Ellie warned her, "And only when a grown up can be there to watch you."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Clara ran to hug her dad and mom before going to look at her bike before noticing the tricycle that sat beside it, "Molly! Come look, you got a trike!" She rushed over, took her cousin by the hand and led her over to the three wheeled pedal toy and helped her get on, pushing her around the dining room table.

"Not in the house, please," Ellie stopped them, "You can ride outside after we all get dressed."

"Okay," Clara nodded, helping Molly off her bike and dashing toward her room.

The adults couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's enthusiasm before Ellie turned to her brother and his girlfriend, "If you two want to go get dressed, I can get Molly changed and we can all meet up in the courtyard."

"Sounds good, thanks Elle," Chuck smiled warmly at his sister before guiding Sarah and Emma back across the courtyard to get changed. A half hour later after showers were taken and everyone was changed, they met back up in the courtyard. Devon and Ellie already had the girls' bikes outside, and Clara was patiently teaching Molly how to ride her new tricycle.

"She really is good at that," Sarah smiled at her boyfriend's niece who was holding the seat and handlebar of the trike while she encouraged Molly's attempts to pedal the trike around the courtyard. Molly's legs were barely long enough to reach the pedals, so she wasn't able to go too fast, but Clara didn't seem to care, applauding her cousin's snail pace as she went in small circles in front of the Woodcomb's home.

When Molly grew bored of riding her new toy, Clara helped her get down so the girl could run over to where her parents sat on the edge of the fountain. Once Molly was safely settled in Chuck's lap and Ellie had moved the trike over to the side, Devon helped Clara get her helmet on and mount her own new bike. He quickly showed her how to pedal forward and how to slow and stop by pedaling backwards, cautioning her to not pedal backward too fast or else she might stop too abruptly and fall. Clara nodded her understanding and, with Devon holding onto her handlebar and seat - much like she had with her cousin, she slowly began to ride. One he was confident she was getting the hang of it, Devon let go and let Clara continue riding around the fountain until she too, grew tired of her new toy.

Devon helped her off the bike and unbuckled her helmet letting her know that once she was ready, he would take the training wheels off so she could get used to riding he two-wheeler without them. As Ellie guided the girls, Sarah, and Emma into the condo to wash up and eat lunch, Devon and Chuck carried the bikes to their shared storage unit located on the far side of the parking lot for the condo complex to stow them away before joining the rest of the family for lunch.

Ellie cooked up grilled cheese and tomato soup for everyone and soon the family was enjoying the simple but warming meal. As soon as lunch was done and the girls cleaned up, they were carried into Clara's room to take a nap. Clara only protested a little at having to take a nap when she was nearly six years old, but soon fell asleep next to her cousin.

The adults settled in the living room with coffee or hot chocolate as Chuck got the Twilight Zone DVDs containing their favorite episodes out and turned on the DVD player and TV.

"Before we get started," Emma spoke up from her place on one of the armchairs, "I have one more thing for you kids." She handed each couple an envelope and encouraged them to open them.

"Oh my God," Ellie whispered, pulling out a reservation confirmation and itinerary for a winery tour over President's day weekend and showing it to her husband before turning to see that Chuck and Sarah had received the same gift.

"It's a couple's weekend," Emma informed them, "You'll do your winery tours together, I set up a spa day for the girls while the boys join a brewery tour at a local micro-brewery, and then your last night is meant for you to have a romantic night out for each couple. I don't want to hear any argument; it's already paid for and I'll take the girls that weekend. I already know that Sarah gets a long weekend, I've spoken with Morgan and with the hospital, and the rest of you also have that long weekend off."

"Mom, this is too much," Sarah protested, "I know you suggested this, but I thought you meant you would give us the brochures and we'd plan and pay for our own trip."

"It's really not that big of a deal," Emma shook her head, "Mr. Penhall was able to get a settlement for me – let me tell you, that young man works fast and does good work – and is way more than I could need, even after replacing my car, paying my hospital and care bills, and calculating out my lost wages. I want to do this for you, let me do this for you."

"Alright, alright, we'll go," Sarah acquiesced, knowing it would do no good to argue with her mother once her mind was made up, besides she could use a mini get away with her new best friend and their respective significant others.

"Good, now that that's settled," Emma smiled at the four young adults, "We can enjoy some of the show. Which one are we watching first?"

"We always start with the second ever episode, 'One for the Angels,'" Chuck informed their newcomers as he pulled out a disk and set in the tray of the player, closing the door and navigating the window, "It always had an 'It's a Wonderful Life' vibe to it for me."

Once the first episode was finished and Devon went to peak in on the girls who were still sound asleep, Chuck started the next episode they always liked to watch, season 2 episode 11, 'The Night of the Meek.' As it turned out, their timing was just right as Molly and Clara came stumbling out just as the credits began to roll. Chuck put away the DVDs and turned on Christmas music while the girls played with their new toys and the adults watched and enjoyed spending time with their family.

Around five, there was a knock on the door. Devon went to answer, finding Morgan and Alex on the other side, shopping bags in their hands.

"Uncle Morgan! Aunt Alex!" Clara jumped up to give her honorary aunt and uncle hugs, "You're here!"

"Of course, we're here, short stuff," Morgan beamed down at the girl, "It wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't spend time with you."

Morgan took his bag into the kitchen and unloaded its contents into the fridge while Alex set her bags next to the tree and turned to greet the rest of the family. "Good to see ya, Buddy," Chuck gave his friend a hug then gestured to the women he had been sitting with, "You remember Emma, Sarah's mom."

"It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Walker," Morgan gave her a small smile before a squeal caught everyone's attention.

Morgan and Chuck turned to see Alex, hand extended toward Ellie and Sarah who were examining the ring on her finger. "You didn't," Chuck gave his friend a disbelieving look.

"I did, this morning," Morgan gave him a proud look, "I spoke with the major after Thanksgiving and he gave me his blessing. Put the box in her stocking, I barely got the words out before she tackle-kissed me and said 'Yes.'"

"I'm happy for you, man," Chuck patted his friend on the shoulder, "That's great news!"

"Only thing that'd make it better is if you'd be my best man," Morgan gave his friend an earnest look, "Seeing as we are heterosexual life partners and all."

"As if you had to ask," Chuck shook his head, "I'd be proud to stand up for you. I'm guessing you haven't set a date yet, since this only happened this morning."

"Probably once the weather starts to warm up." Morgan shrugged, "We don't need some big thing, we've discussed having a small beach ceremony like what Ellie and Awesome had, and the Major mentioned we could use one of the Pendleton chapels. We haven't quite decided yet."

"Well, whatever you do, make sure it works for the both of you." Chuck advised, "I remember watching the Very Awesomes try to pressure Ellie into this big church wedding that she didn't want. Thankfully Devon put a stop to it pretty quickly, once he realized that it wasn't what Ellie wanted."

"I hear you," Morgan nodded, "The first time I mentioned that I was going to propose to Alex my mom started going off about setting up a meeting with Fr. Martinez for premarital counseling and to sign up for the next Engaged Encounter event. I mean our family isn't very religious, aside from Tia Lupe and Tio Hector, but it's generally expected that we are baptized, make our first communion, preferably get confirmed, and get married in the Catholic Church. Alex's family is protestant, so I don't know how that is gonna play out."

"It'll work out in the end," Chuck assured his best friend.

"I'm sure it will," Morgan agreed, sparing a glance to where Sarah stood, admiring Alex's ring, "So any plans to take the plunge?"

"Eventually," Chuck shrugged, "I mean we only just moved in together last month."

"True," Morgan nodded, "But you've been in love with that girl since high school, I've seen the way you look at her. That is the look of a man in the forever kind of love. Why wait?"

"I have to agree," Emma added, causing both men to jump, having forgotten she was standing there, "You love my daughter the way that Bill loved me, that is as plain as day. For what it's worth, when the day comes you are both ready to take that step, you have my blessing." She patted Chuck on the forearm and went to join the young women in admiring Alex's ring and discussing ideas about the upcoming nuptials.

"Well that's one thing down," Morgan chuckled, "Seriously, Dude, getting parental approval is the hardest part aside from working up the nerve to ask, well that and finding a ring."

"I'll take that under advisement, Buddy," Chuck smiled, looking over at Sarah who met his eyes and gave him a loving smile of her own.

Sensing that the conversation had played out, Morgan clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, "I think it's time for presents."

The girls cheered as the adults took their seats and waited for Morgan and Alex to pass out the presents that they'd brought. The girls, of course, got more toys. Ellie and Sarah were given gift certificates to a local spa, and the three women immediately started planning a girls' weekend. Chuck and Devon were given tickets for a couple spring training games and the men mapped out a rough plan for their annual Spring Training trip as the men were all baseball fans, although they couldn't agree on which team was best. Chuck was a Dodgers fan, Morgan like the Angels, and Chicago-born Devon was a Cubs fan. Luckily for the men, all three teams were Cactus League, which meant that their Spring Training was in and around Phoenix, a relatively short six-and-a-half-hour drive from Burbank.

Once all the gifts were opened, they moved over to the dining room where they enjoyed leftovers from the meal Devon had made the night before along with the tamales and empanadas Morgan and Alex had brought over from Mrs. Grimes' house. The night ended with everyone lounging around the living room while they watched 'Miracle on 34th Street.' Again, the girls had zonked out before the film was over, the adults quietly exchanged goodbyes and hugs before Morgan and Alex departed. Devon wished the family good night and lifted Clara into his arms to carry upstairs to bed while Ellie walked her younger brother's family to the front door. Chuck promised to return the next day to collect the rest of Molly's gifts.

Upon entering the condo, Emma wished her daughter and Chuck good night and kissed her sleeping granddaughter's head before ducking into the den to go to bed. Chuck and Sarah continued upstairs where they worked in concert to get Molly changed and put to bed before retiring to their own room where they snuggled up together and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

The new year began with little fanfare, just the adults quietly sipping champagne in the courtyard at midnight as the girls slumbered quietly in their rooms. After a round of hugs and kisses, they all departed to kiss their daughters good night and get some sleep themselves.

Alex, who had gotten to know Ellie and Sarah over the past several months, approached them during their girl's weekend to ask their assistance in planning their wedding. Ellie, remembering how stressful it was trying plan her own wedding, and Sarah, who thought she might pick up some tips for when it was her turn, gladly accepted. Alex had explained to them that after much discussion, she and Morgan had agreed to get married in one of the chapels at Pendleton that spring, and that they wanted a simple ceremony, but beyond that had no clue as to where to start.

The women discussed decorations, dresses, food, and more as they enjoyed their time in the spa and while getting their nails done, taking a brief respite to get their massages, then picking up the conversation again over a light dinner and wine as Ellie made notes on her cocktail napkin. By the time they'd arrived back to Echo Park, they'd managed to get Alex's mom as well as some of her girlfriends from college on the phone and made their plans to meet up in a couple weeks to go dress shopping.

They'd asked Emma to join them when they'd gone to the bridal shop, hoping to get the girl's dresses done quickly. Molly and Clara were the only little girls that Alex knew, since all of Morgan's cousins who had kids either had little boys or pre-teen girls who wouldn't be interested in tossing flowers and being generally adorable for long enough to walk down the aisle. Since Alex had done her research and had a vague idea as to the kind of gown she wanted to get, it made it easier to find flower girl dresses that would compliment whatever gown she eventually chose.

They had the girls try on a few of the 'princess dresses' as Clara had been calling them before settling on white sleeveless dresses with a layered, tulle, skirt and crystal accented sash. Clara had begged to stay to see Alex try on some of the pretty dresses and Molly happily followed her older cousin's lead. However, after the third dress, the girls were getting bored, so Emma lured them away with promises of McDonalds and playtime at the park.

The older women stayed on a while longer watching as Alex tried on a few more dresses before going back to the second dress she had tried on. It was a sleeveless chiffon gown with a v-neckline, satin sash, and a skirt that draped elegantly from the natural waist and ended in a sweep train. They played around with a few accessories before Alex decided on a two-tiered veil with a scalloped edge and thin beading.

The bridesmaids dresses were a little easier to find, as they were in a similar style to the dress Alex had selected, only with a below-the knee skirt and in a pale lavender for the bridesmaids, who consisted of Ellie, Sarah, and a friend of Alex's from high school, and a pale blush color for the matron of honor, Alex's cousin, Sophie.

It was early afternoon by the time all was said and done, so the ladies decided to have a late lunch before heading home. There was a small café down the street from the bridal shop, so the ladies decided to check it out. After a light lunch of soups, sandwiches, salads, the ladies went their separate ways.

"I heard you ladies had some big plans next weekend," Alex smiled up at her friends as they made their way to their cars.

"Yeah, my mom got us a couples weekend up in Napa," Sarah smiled.

"Isn't it a little early in the year?" Alex asked.

"It's open year-round," Ellie shrugged, "It might be a little rainy, but who cares. We're going to be inside sipping wine so the weather doesn't much matter. I've always wanted to go, so I'll take any time of the year I can get."

"Me too," Sarah agreed, "Mom said she and her late husband, the one she married a few years after she and my dad split, loved it up there. I think she said they went in late March, and it was lovely, but it was kind of crowded. February is low season for them, so it shouldn't be too bad. She offered to watch the girls for us over the weekend, but I think she has an ulterior motive to spoil them and feed them nothing but sugar while we're gone."

"Oh, I don't doubt that," Ellie chuckled, "She loves doting on the girls." She then turned to Alex and added, "Since our parents aren't around and Devon's folks live in Chicago, Emma has basically adopted Clara as another granddaughter."

"That's actually kind of sweet," Alex smiled.

"Do you and Morgan want kids?" Sarah asked.

"We've talked about it," Alex shrugged, "I'd like two or three, and he's more or less of the same mind."

"Your mom and Bolognia would spoil any kids you had rotten," Ellie laughed.

"Your dad, though," Sarah shook her head, "He's so stern, I wonder what kind of a grandpa he'd be, I mean you turned out great, but how much of that was your mom's influence."

Alex burst out laughing, "My dad is the biggest teddy bear you'll ever meet!" She exclaimed, "Don't let the hardened Marine exterior fool you; he's a big softy. Mom calls him Sugar Bear, an I bet any kids we have will have him wrapped around their little finger in no time."

"Really?!" The older women looked at their friend in amazement.

"Yeah, I remember him coming home from deployment, sometimes really late at night," Alex had a soft smile on her face as she reminisced, "He thought I was sleeping, but I was a light sleeper, so I knew when he'd open that door. It didn't make a sound, but I could always sense him when he entered. He would always pull my blankets up, tucking me in again, kiss my forehead, and then take a seat on the edge of my bed, stroking my hair and watching me sleep. My mom said he was absolutely gone for me from the first minute I was placed in his arms, she has pictures of him, dozing on the couch with tiny little me balanced on his chest, his big hand completely covering my back as he held me in place."

"Aww," The women cooed.

"I really hope to see him be a grandpa someday," Sarah smiled, "I'm sure I'll get to experience it at least a few times. With as close as Chuck and Morgan are, we're likely going to be at some of the same family events."

"I'm looking forward to it," Alex smiled then nodded toward her little green sedan, "Well this is me. Thanks for coming along today, I really appreciate your help."

"You're welcome," Sarah hugged the petite woman and stepped aside for Ellie to do the same, "We'll see you in a few weeks to check out the reception venues."

"Sounds good," Alex nodded and got into her car to drive away.

"We should probably get going," Ellie nodded toward her own car, "Before we have to scrape the girls off your mom's ceiling with a spatula."

"We may already be too late for that," Sarah joked as they made their way over to Ellie's car and headed toward Emma's house.

"So, next week is the trip to Napa, right?" Morgan spared a glace at his friend before shooting a few more zombies on the screen before him. While the ladies were off dress shopping, Morgan and Chuck had decided to head out to the Santa Monica Pier to indulge in a little arcade action.

"Yep, we take off as soon as Sarah's classes let out for the day," Chuck confirmed, putting a few headshots through some zombies Morgan had missed.

"What all are you gonna be doing up there?"

"Emma booked us some wine tastings, a day at the spa for the ladies while Awesome and I enjoy some beer at a local brewery." Chuck smiled, "She even gave us a free night to wine and dine our ladies as we see fit."

"And?" Morgan gave him a suggestive look.

"And what?" Chuck looked at his friend confused as to what the man might be hinting at.

"Are you gonna pop the big 'Q?'" Morgan gave him a look that showed he thought Chuck should have understood his question the first time as he placed the plastic rifle he'd been using back in its holder.

"No," Chuck shook his head, slipping his own gun into place and following his friend out to the pier, "That is not in the cards for that weekend."

"Why not?" Morgan insisted, "I mean you two have been in love forever, you're perfect for each other and her daughter adores you and is already calling you 'Daddy.' What's the hold up?"

"It's too soon," Chuck shook his head, a patient smile on his lips, "We only just reunited Labor Day weekend, and she has Molly. I don't want to rush things."

"Don't want to rush…" Morgan muttered, "Are you insane?! You moved in together after two months! You're already taking steps towards adopting her daughter! Besides you have been in love with that girl since you were 18. Eight-freaking-teen my Dude! If you think asking her to marry you now is rushing things, I think you need to reexamine your definition of the word 'rush.' A ten-year infatuation is the very description of a slow burn."

"I don't know Morgs," Chuck hedged, "I mean you and Alex just got engaged, if I ask her now, it's just gonna seem like I'm trying to get in on the action."

"So what?!" Morgan demanded, "Her brain is already focused on wedding stuff as it is, and let me tell you, Alex would be _thrilled_ to be planning their weddings together. She's told me that she's caught Sarah looking wistfully through the bridal magazines they use when they meet up with Ellie to talk about whatever women talk about when planning a wedding."

"Isn't proposing at Napa kind of cliché?" Chuck arched an eyebrow. "I mean if I were to propose, and I'm not saying that I will, it has to be perfect. Remember that proposal plan we came up with when we were like 12?"

"Oh man, I'd forgotten about that," Morgan chuckled, "How sweet would it have been if I'd rolled up in a DeLorian to propose to Alex?"

"Okay, so maybe not going that far, I mean it was kind of out there," Chuck shook his head, "But, I don't know, Sarah is really special, and I want the proposal to be just as special as she it."

Morgan nodded, "Let me ask you a few things, Chuck. Do you love her?"

"What kind of question is that?" Chuck gave his friend an incredulous look, "You know I love her more than life itself."

"Do you love Molly?" Morgan pressed, "Are you really ready to take on the responsibility of being her dad for real? Kissing the scraped knees, chasing off he boys who are pulling her hair, father-daughter dances, the whole thing?"

"Yeah I do, and I am," Chuck agreed.

"In your free time, do you ever imagine what your life will be like five years in the future, ten years?" Morgan pressed, "Do you see them there? In a house with a big back yard, maybe with another kid or three and a dog running around?"

The smile on Chuck's face as he imagined the future Morgan had just described said it all. "Yes, to all of the above."

"Then you're ready, my friend," Morgan clapped his life-long best friend on the back, "I know you, and I know you are going to keep questioning it until the day you actually get the cojones to go through with it, but let me tell you something the Colonel told me when I asked him for Alex's hand. There is no such thing as the perfect proposal, and he should know. He proposed to Kathleen in a bus stop in Buffalo of all places because their bus to Niagara Falls broke down. You don't need a nice dinner, or the perfect sunset, or any of that shit that romcoms tell us girls need, all you need is the girl, your girl.

"Tell you what," Morgan broke Chuck from his reverie, "There's a nice family-owned place not too far from here, it's where I got Alex's ring. Why don't we go look, if you don't see anything that speaks to you, fine; no harm, no foul. But, if you find _the_ ring, you have to take it with you to Napa. I'm not saying you propose to her while you're there, but maybe, just maybe you'll find your moment and you'll be glad I suggested this."

"You now what?" Chuck looked at his little buddy, "Okay, let's do it. I mean what could it hurt to just look, right? I mean I doubt I'm going to find the ring that is meant to sit on her finger for the rest her life at the first place I go, right?"

"Holy shit!" Chuck murmured, the small purple box in his hand as he and Morgan left the store. "I can't believe that just happened… I can't believe I just did that! What the hell was in that smoothie you gave me earlier? I don't do this, I'm not impulsive…"

"I think your trip to Catalina Island ten years ago blows that theory out of the water," Morgan rolled his eyes before grabbing his friend's arm and turning him to face him, "Chuck!" He waited until the older man's eyes refocused on Morgan rather than the ring that as in the box in his hand, "Buddy, you with me? Don't freak out."

"Easy for you to say," Chuck huffed, "You didn't just walk into a jewelry store, and put down $2,500 for the first ring you saw!"

"Well it wasn't that expensive, but pretty much, yeah I did," Morgan chuckled, "A month ago when I got Alex's ring. I went into that same store we just left, just to browse for when I was ready to take that leap and right there on the counter was the ring I knew was meant to sit on Alex's finger for the rest of our lives. Next thing I knew, I was calling the Colonel and Kathleen, asking if they would be available for me to stop by in a couple hours and getting into my car to drive to Pendleton and ask their blessing."

"Oh my God, Emma!" Chuck gasped, "I didn't talk to Emma, she made me promise her I would speak to her as soon as I was considering getting a ring for Sarah… Ellie is going to kill me for not including her in this, either."

"Hey Chuck, come here," Morgan waived as if he wanted his friend to bend down so he could brush something off of his buddy's shoulder. Much to Chuck's shock, Morgan did not want to brush a bug of his shirt, his best friend of 22 years slapped him right across the face, "Get a hold of yourself, man, you're spiraling! I don't think Emma is going to care if you spoke to her before or after you got the ring, she's just going to be glad you got your head out of your proverbial ass and made an honest woman of her little girl. Same goes for Ellie, I'm sure she would have loved to go with you to help select a ring for Sarah, but Dude, you know she's going to be all up in your and Sarah's grills helping to plan the wedding. She'll live despite not being included in this one step."

Chuck nodded quietly before sticking the ring box in his pocket and extracting his phone, "You're right, Buddy. Only thing that matters is that I have the ring so that when we do find our moment, I'll be ready. I probably should still go talk to Emma." He checked the time on his lock screen which read four in the afternoon. "You think Ellie and Sarah got the girls from her place yet?"

"I don't know," Morgan shrugged, "Give her a call and ask."

"Right," Chuck nodded, unlocking his screen and pressing the speed dial button for his girlfriend's mom and waited while it rang. "Hey Emma, it's Chuck. Yeah, it's good to hear from you too. Look, I was wondering have Ellie and Sarah been by yet to get the girls? Good, good, um, are you going to be home for a while? Great, I'll uh… I'll see you in a little bit." Hanging up the phone he did a little happy dance, joined shortly by Morgan. They were making complete fools of themselves, but they didn't really care.

"You gonna do this?" Morgan asked once their dancing was done.

"I'm gonna do this," Chuck nodded, "Emma said she was going to be home for the rest of the night, but I don't want to keep her waiting. I'll see you later, Buddy."

"See ya, later, Man." Morgan beamed, "I'm proud of you!"

With one last smile the men set off for their cars, Morgan to head back to the apartment he and Alex had shared since the previous summer, and Chuck to speak to the amazing woman who gave birth to one of the most amazing women he'd ever met.

"Took you long enough," Emma teased, opening the door for Chuck to step through.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Chuck shrugged, "Traffic."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," Emma gave him the look, "I think we both know we should have had this conversation a little closer to Sarah's birthday… or even as soon as the night of her concert. You sat next to me for two and a half hours and I've never seen a man so in love with a woman in my entire life and my Bill _adored_ me."

He chuckled nervously as he took a seat on the couch next to the older woman, running his palms down his jeans to remove some of the nervous sweat that had accumulated there during his drive over from the pier. He appreciated that she gave him time to get his thoughts together before he spoke, "I know you know why I'm here," He gave her a small smile, "I mean you literally just told me that I should have done this a while ago, and you might be right, but I'm here now. Emma, you know how much I love Sarah, I would do anything for her and for Molly. When I think about my future, they're both there. Sometimes there's another kid there, a dog, all of them running around a huge backyard. I know you've hinted at it, said it, practically demanded it multiple times over in the short time since Sarah came back into my life, but I want to do this right." He paused for a moment and smiled when Emma gave him an encouraging nod, "Emma, may I have your blessing to ask Sarah to be my wife. I would love nothing more than to be her husband and the father to Molly and any other children we may have."

"Oh, wow Chuck, that's a really big ask. I'll have to think about it." She chuckled when she saw his face fall, "Oh I am just kidding, you know my answer is yes. You have my blessing. I take it that's a ring you've been fidgeting with in your pocket, because if it isn't, there's a whole other conversation we need to be having about how to behave around your girlfriend's relations."

Chuck blushed and extracted the small velvet box, handing it over to Emma who opened it. On a satiny pillow set two rings, a round solitaire that looked to be about a full carat with a halo of smaller stones around it and halfway down each side of the platinum band upon which it sat. The other ring was an eternity band that complimented the engagement ring perfectly. "Oh Chuck, it's perfect," Emma cooed, "And you're sure it's the right size?"

"Yeah, I had the jeweler check," Chuck nodded, "Ellie was less than subtle when dropping hints as to Sarah's ring size."

"Did the set come with a ring for yourself?" Emma looked up at the man who was to be her son-in-law.

"Yeah," Chuck nodded, pulling out another box and handing it to Emma, "I figured Sarah would be so busy with wedding planning it might be easier to just get the full set."

"Practical," She nodded, opening the box to reveal a platinum band wider than the ones meant for her daughter, with small diamonds channel-set down the center of the ring and halfway down each side. "I'll give you this, you have a great eye for rings." She closed the boxes and handed them back to him. "Congratulations, Son."

Chuck's smile widened at her words as he leaned in to hug her, "I'd better get going, I want to stop at my office before heading home, don't want Sarah to find the rings too soon."

"When are you going to ask her?" Emma inquired.

"I don't know," Chuck shrugged, "A friend of mine gave me some really good advice. He basically told me to not waste my time trying to create the perfect moment, but to take advantage of any moment that might find us. He said his father-in-law put it a lot better, 'You don't need all that other stuff, all you need is the girl.' And he must know what he's talking about because he's been married to his wife for 25 years and is just as in love with her today as he did the day he asked her to marry him, if not more."

"He's a wise man, you should listen to him," Emma agreed with a soft smile, "But you better get going. Sarah and Ellie left with the girls an hour or so ago, if you don't hurry, you're liable to be late for dinner."

"Good point," Chuck nodded as he stood to his feet and bent over to press a kiss to Emma's cheek, "Thanks, Em. I'll make sure she calls you first, whenever it happens."

"I look forward to it," Emma smiled as she walked the young man back to the front door and watched him bound down the steps and toward his car, a wide smile on his face. "Yeah, Bill, he really is the best thing for our girls," She whispered and closed the door.


	22. Chapter 22

It was early afternoon when Chuck heard a knock on his office door. Looking up he found his best buddy leaned up against the frame, giving him an impatient look, even going so far as to look at his watch and back to the taller man.

"What's up, Morg?" Chuck asked, still typing away at the program he was working on.

"You are aware of the time, right?" Morgan asked, stepping into the small room and taking a seat in one of the visitor's chairs that sat across from Chuck's own chair.

"Yeah, Buddy I am," Chuck nodded, absentmindedly picking up his smart phone and waving it at his friend, "It still have time, set an alarm and everything."

"Uh-huh," Morgan gave him an incredulous look, "And what time did you set it for?"

"1:45," Chuck informed him, not taking his eyes off his screen, "That will give me enough time to go home, load up the bags, pick up Molly and Sarah, and drop Molly off at Emma's before we head out to Napa."

"Chuck, it's 2:15," Morgan gestured to the clock that hung on the wall over his head, rolling his eyes as his friend's eyes widened in panic then quickly pulled up the alarm app on his phone and swore. "Set it for 1:45 AM, didn't you?"

Chuck glared at his friend before quickly saving his project and shutting down his computer as he gathered his suit jacket and messenger bag emblazoned with the Orion Games logo and rushed toward the door before Morgan called back to him.

"Forgetting something?" Morgan rounded his friend's desk, opened the top drawer and extracted a small box, checked to make sure he'd grabbed the right one and, tossed it to Chuck who deftly caught it just like when they were in little league. "What happened to carrying that thing in your pocket at all times?"

"I didn't want Sarah to find it at the house before we left for Napa," Chuck shrugged, placing the velvet box in his pocket, "Thanks for looking out." With a grateful smile, he was out the door.

Morgan chuckled at his friend's situation glad he wasn't in the same boat. Thanks to the Colonel's influence on Alex and Alex's influence on him, Morgan had long since switched his digital clocks to read in military time. No more having to worry about AM or PM when setting his alarm, and it wasn't so hard to translate it from 24-hour to 12-hour time, once he was used to it. Checking the lock on the interior of his friend's office door, he shut it behind him and made his way back to his own office to resume his work for the day. He wanted to make sure he finished on time as he and Alex were supposed to be meeting her parents for dinner that evening to discuss the guest list.

* * *

Ellie was walking with Clara to the van where her husband was busy loading up their suitcases for the weekend, when she saw her brother tear into the parking lot, tires nearly squealing on his fancy car as he slammed the car into park and lept out. She loved her little brother, but the man would be late to his own funeral if left to his own devices.

"Running late, little brother?" She did not make any attempt to hid the snark of her inquiry. She received an eyeroll and a grumbled response. She turned to her daughter, "Go see if you can help your dad get our stuff in the van. I have to go talk to your uncle."

"Okay, Mommy," Clara nodded and skipped off to where her father was closing the tailgate of the van.

Ellie waited until Clara had reached Devon before entering her brother's condo, "Chuck?" She called as she headed up the stairs to find him frantically gathering their luggage together, which had thankfully been packed in advance. "Where are Molly's things?"

"In her room," Chuck grunted, his bag open as he tossed in his dopp kit and closed it once more.

"I'll get her stuff loaded in the van," Ellie informed him, "I'll then swing by Anne's and pick her up to take her over to Emma's, that should save you some time. Once you pick Sarah up, you can swing by Emma's to say goodbye before hitting the road."

She saw relief flicker across her brothers face as he gave her a small smile, "Thanks, Elle, I set my alarm for the wrong time and didn't realize it until Morgan came by a half our after my alarm should have gone off to send me on my way, so I'm running a bit behind."

"I gathered." Ellie rolled her eyes, "You just worry about loading up your car with your stuff and I'll take care of Molly and her things."

"Okay," Chuck nodded as she turned on her heel to head down to the former guest room that had been converted into a nursery when Sarah and Molly had moved in. Just as he had said, sitting on top of Molly's dresser was a small roller bag decorated with Minnie mouse and a spare diaper bag filled with enough diaper and wipes to last the weekend with some spares, just in case. Shouldering the diaper bag and picking up the suitcase, she headed back out to her family's van, gesturing for Devon to open the tailgate so she could toss the bags inside.

"Change of plans, Dev," She shrugged.

Devon gave her a knowing look and chuckled, "You called it, Babe. I take it we're picking up Molly and bring her with us to Granny's house?"

"Yep," Ellie gave a sharp nod before rolling her eyes, "Good thing we decided to pull Clara's old car seat out of storage for Molly to use."

"Indeed," Devon agreed, putting the van in gear and heading over to the babysitter's house to pick up their niece.

* * *

Sarah was waiting outside the arts building when her boyfriend pulled up. The mix of surprised, awed, and impressed looks from the handful of students still on campus waiting for rides or extracurricular activities to begin, did not escape her notice. Nor did she miss the way some of the female students reacted when her very attractive beau emerged from the car to open the passenger door.

"Sorry," Chuck gave her a sheepish look before giving her a quick kiss, cognizant of the underaged spectators they'd seemed to have attracted, "I lost track of time, and it turns out my alarm was set for the morning, not the afternoon like I thought it was, and…"

Sarah pressed a finger to his lips to cease the spiral, "It's okay," She gave him a reassuring smile, "Ellie already filled me in… and Morgan called before that."

Chuck groaned, causing her to giggle, "I am so sorry."

"It happens, thankfully our family is awesome and jumped in to help us out," She shrugged, sliding into the car, waiting for him to close her door and circle around to his seat before continuing. "Let's just go to Mom's so we can say goodbye to Molly and Clara and get this vacation started."

"Roger Dodger!" Chuck nodded, dropping the hard top of the convertible, grinning at the dropped jaw reaction he got from the students who had been watching the whole interaction.

"Show off," Sarah teased.

Chuck shrugged, "Hey I got a beautiful woman, and a kick ass car, why not show them off while I blast some tunes? Speaking of," He reached down to the stereo, pressing a few buttons and his 'road trip' mix began to play starting with '_Barracuda,'_ which earned him an eye roll as he deliberately pealed out of the parking lot, causing the both of them to laugh at his antics and in excitement for the trip they were embarking on.

A short, 15-minute drive later, they were pulling up behind the Woodcomb's van out front of Emma's home. Chuck put the top up on the car and they headed up to the front door, not even bothering to knock before entering.

"Mama!" A blond projectile in toddler form came barreling toward Sarah's legs.

"Hey Sweetheart!" Sarah beamed, picking up her little girl, "Were you good for Miss Anne today?"

"Uh huh," Moly nodded, her curly pigtails bouncing adorably with the motion.

"And are you gonna be good for Granny while Daddy and I are spending time with Uncle Awesome and Auntie Ellie?" She caught the girl's eyes.

"Yes'm," The little girl agreed before noticing who was standing beside her mommy, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" She repeated practically launching herself from her mother's arms to be caught in the strong embrace of the man she knew as her daddy.

"Hey Sweet-pea," Chuck grinned, "I missed you!"

"Miss you Daddy," Molly agreed then scrunched up her little face in thought, "Daddy bye-bye?"

"Yeah," Chuck confirmed, "Daddy and Mommy are going bye-bye for a few days. You and Clara get to stay here with Granny, and I bet she has all kinds of fun stuff for you to do."

"You bet your sweet bottom I do," Emma smiled, watching the exchange, "We're gonna go to the zoo tomorrow!"

"The zoo!" Clara squealed, "Can we go see the lellaphans?"

"Of course, Clare-bear," Emma looked taken aback, "It wouldn't be a trip to the zoo if we didn't see the elephants!"

"Yay!" Clara cheered, "Did you hear that Mommy? Granny Emma said we're gonna go see the lellaphans!"

"I heard," Ellie smiled and nodded to her daughter.

"Babe, we should get a move on if we're gonna make our reservation in Monterey," Devon pointed to his watch. "That goes for you too, Chuckster."

"Alright," Chuck nodded and pressed a kiss to his daughter's cheek, "Alright Baby Girl, be good for Granny and Mommy and I will be back before you know it. I love you, bunches."

"Love you bunnies," Molly tried to echo the sentiment before giving her father a tight hug.

Sarah took her daughter back into her arms and gave her a hug and a kiss, "I'll miss you so much, kiddo. I love you."

"Love you, Mama," Molly gave her mother a sloppy kiss on the cheek before wigging to be put down and running to her grandma without hesitation.

"Is it bad she has no qualms about us just leaving her places?" Sarah asked her boyfriend, sotto voce.

"Would you rather she cry and scream and work herself up into a fit?" He countered.

"No, I guess not," Sarah sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder as they waited for Ellie and Devon to finish saying goodbye to their daughter and telling her to listen to Granny Emma an keep an eye out for her little cousin, a job it looked like she was planning to take very seriously.

"Ready to roll out?" Devon asked, approaching the younger couple.

"Ready and waiting," Chuck smiled at his brother-in-law giving him a fist bump as the couples made their way out to their vehicles and loaded up to caravan up to Napa with a stop in Monterey for dinner.

* * *

Dinner in Monterey was beautiful, the seafood restaurant that Devon had found online had rave yelp reviews and a breathtaking ocean view. The two couples dined on a variety of seafood dishes, each getting something different and sharing bites amongst each other as the enjoyed the company and sumptuous wine. They all ordered the chocolate mousse for dessert, and the rich treat was the perfect ending to their meal. Sated with good food, wine, and conversation, they paid their checks and headed back to their cars to finish their journey to Napa.

The bed and breakfast that Emma had chosen for the was made up of eight individual cottages and the main house. Each unit was a studio design with a large four poster bed with a pristine white duvet and a colorful throw blanket in case they needed a little extra warmth. Sarah and Ellie fell in love with the bathrooms and their deep tubs that were large enough to soak in, even if the tub was being shared by their larger than average hunnies. There were even some social areas with chairs and a standing fireplace/heater where a small group of people could enjoy the quiet solitude of the country setting of the property.

After touring both their cottages, they decided to head over to their own units to get some sleep as it was nearly 10pm by the time they'd arrived. They'd all worked that day before embarking on their vacation and were exhausted. It didn't take either couple long to get changed and ready for bed and snuggle up in the large, pillowtop mattress in their rooms and fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

The next morning the couples joined the other guests of the bed and breakfast in the man house where they shared a delicious meal to start their day. Emma had signed them up for the group package which included a day-long winery tour. The trolley, which was to take them, and a handful of other visitors around to the three wineries they would be visiting that day was set to arrive just after noon. When they'd inquired at the front desk after breakfast as to the dress code for the tour they were on, the desk agent assured them that the package that had been purchased for them was a very casual tour.

Devon had opted to wear a pair of chinos, a light blue sweater, and a casual pair of suede oxfords. Ellie had opted for a floral dress and comfortable flats and had brought her favorite sweater with her to ward off the chill that came with the late-winter weather. Chuck had opted for a pair of dark wash jeans, a green button down that complimented his hazel eyes, and his trusty high-top all-stars. Sarah wore a belted camp dress with large pockets on the breasts and buttons down the front. She had also chosen to wear flats, figuring they would be more comfortable for a day of walking.

The trolley arrived shortly after they had arrived at the area set aside for tour pick-ups at the property. Much to their relief, it seemed everyone else on the tour were around their age and made up of a mixture of couples and small groups of friends. The vineyards were beautiful, and the views from some of the areas were breathtaking, Chuck had seriously considered asking Sarah to marry him at least a dozen times during their tours that day, but every time something happened to prevent it. Either the tour guide rushing them along, his sister or brother-in-law interrupting or intruding on the moment he was trying to carve out for them, during one attempt, a tractor had started up, making such a noise Chuck could hardly hear himself think let alone have the conversation with Sarah he was wanting to have.

Arriving back at the bed and breakfast after their tour had concluded with a wine and dine dinner, they strolled along the paths that led to their cabins and bid each other good night.

"Are you okay?" Sarah gave Chuck a concerned look, "You haven't been quite yourself today, you were so distracted, it was almost as if despite being physically here, your mind is a thousand miles away."

"Yeah, no, I'm great," Chuck shook his head waving his hand as if to dismiss Sarah's concerns about him. "Sorry, Baby," He pulled her into his arms and gave her a soft kiss, "I guess I'm having a little trouble letting go and relaxing."

"Aww," Sarah pouted mockingly at him, "Well let's see what we can do to help you relax, huh?" She stepped back, taking his hand in hers and pulling him into the bathroom where she proceeded to draw a warm bath complete with bath salts before turning back to him while the tub began to fill. "I know soaking in our big tub at home always relaxes me," She smiled up at him, making sure she had his full attention as she undid the belt that was cinched around her waist and slowly unbuttoned her dress from top to bottom, letting it fall from her body to reveal the blue lace bra and panty set she knew was his favorite of hers.

"Wow," Chuck gasped, taking in the sight of his girlfriend wearing the thin pieces of lace and fabric that might as well not even be there for how revealing they were. He couldn't help but reach out to her.

"Uh, uh, uh," She gave him a coy smile, "You are wearing entirely too many clothes, Mr. Bartowski. I insist that something be done about that. And soon," She pretended to try to reach back to unhook the bra, which resulted in back arching and breasts being pushed forward on display, "Because I simply cannot reach to undo this and need your help."

"Oh, well that does seem a little problematic," Chuck nodded somberly as he toed off his shoes, unbuttoned and removed his shirt, then undid her buckle, button, and zipper that held his pants up, letting them drop around his ankles with a soft swish of fabric. He pulled off his socks before stepping out of his jeans and toward Sarah, who had bent over to turn off the taps. "Is this better?" He softly growled, stepping up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, using his chin to brush her hair out of his way as he began to nuzzle her neck.

He smiled when he felt her shiver at his touch as his hand began to roam along her waist and up her ribcage, "Hmm, I think I discovered the problem here," He hummed, letting his fingers trail along from her back to her front along the band of her bra, his fingers leaving a trail of goosebumps along their path, "It seems your bra doesn't open from the back," His long fingers finally met in the center of her chest as he made a quick pinch and flick motion, releasing the front clasp of the lace frippery. He let his thumbs flick over her stiffening nipples as he slowly drew the fabric back until the straps of the garment fell of her shoulders and down her arms where he let it drop to the floor in a whisper.

Sarah felt his hands back on her sides as his large hands and long fingers, all strong and dexterous from hours spent at a computer, coding, tracing their way over her body. She let out a soft moan and rocked her hips back into him, she could feel him stiffening and barely restrained herself from reaching back for him, knowing that she would be denied until he was done with his exploration. It was mesmerizing, wonderful, and damned frustrating, the attention he lavished on her in these intimate moments, he wouldn't let her touch him until she was a quivering mass of nerve endings from his ministrations, and even then he may still not give into her until he'd succeeded in bringing her to orgasm at least once using his hands, his fingers, his lips, tongue, or any of his other appendages to achieve his goal.

She trembled as she felt his fingers along the waistband of her panties, the tips occasionally brushing against the skin underneath or over her lace covered hips to run along the inside of her thighs along the lower hem of the garment she knew he loved so well. "You know how I feel about you wearing these," He growled softly in her ear as he nipped and sucked along her neck, shoulder, and jaw, "And what seeing you in them does to me. Do you have any idea how turned on I am knowing that this was under that dress of yours, all day?"

"Mmm, I have an idea, oh!" She sighed as she felt his fingers slip under the waistband of her panties over her soft curls and dip inside.

"You are so wet for me, Baby," Chuck groaned, "Makes me want to turn you over the counter and take a nice… long… sip of you. Taste you like all those wines we sampled today, although I can tell you, you are of a much sweeter vintage than anything found in those bottles."

As he spoke, she could feel him slowly penetrating her, using one then two fingers, the heel of his hand and his thumb massaging her clit causing her to cry out in pleasure, "Yeah, that's it Baby," He hummed, a smile on his lips at hearing the soft, wet noises created by his ministrations. When he felt her begin to pulse around his fingers, he slowly withdrew loving the sound of a whimper that escaped her lips at his retreat.

He turned her until she was facing him and could see him lift his hand to his lips and meticulously lick them clean, "Mmmm, delicious," Chuck grinned devilishly at her before lifting her and setting her to sit on the vanity before dropping to his knees and slowly removing the offending piece of lace that had kept her hidden from him all day. He pressed soft kisses up her inner thighs from her knees to her apex before gently lifting her legs over his shoulders and taking his time tasting her, loving the sighs, whimpers, and small mewling noises she made at every flick of his tongue and caress of his lips against her. Leaning back, he met her eyes as he sucked his fingers back in his mouth and lowered them to her core as his mouth focused on the nerve center that he knew would bring about her release. "Just let go, Baby," He whispered against her, "I want to feel you cum for me."

"Chu…" She gasped, losing herself in the sensations and reactions he elicited from him. "Oh God!" She cried as she began to rock against him, drawing his fingers deeper and creating more friction against her center until she shattered around him with a moan. She felt him slow his rhythm drawing out her pleasure and easing her down.

"Wow, Baby," Chuck whispered, lowering her legs from where they rested on his shoulders and standing to his full height to wrap her trembling body in her hands, "That was amazing."

"I think that's my line," She chuckled weakly against his shoulder as she caught her breath, only to have it stolen away as he bent to press a lingering kiss to her lips. She could taste herself on him and it made her desire for him grow stronger. She slid her hands from where they were tangled in his hair, trailing down his chest. She smiled against his lips as he felt his abs quiver as her hands drew further down his body until they reached his hips where one slipped inside his boxers, causing him to groan low in his throat as she gave him a couple languid strokes before withdrawing and pushing his boxers down around his ankles.

Her hands immediately found him again, stroking and massaging, loving the little growls and noises that emanated from deep within his chest, the slight thrusts of his hips when she hit a particularly sensitive point. It was getting harder and harder for Chuck to maintain his control as he dropped his head to her forehead and gasped, "Need you, Baby, now."

"I'm ready for you," She whispered, nipping at his lips as she scooted forward on the counter, using her grip on him to guide him to rest against her, "See?"

"Yes!" He gasped, pulling her closer until her as was just barely resting on the vanity as he crouched down slightly, hitching her leg over his hip as he let her guide him and pull him in until they were fully one, "Oh God," He groaned, as he gave her a moment to adjust to him as he always did, "So, so good," He felt her clench around him and gave a reflexive thrust as he saw the wicked smile on her face. Oh yeah, she knew exactly what she did to him. "I don't know if I'm gonna last," he moaned.

"That's okay, Baby," She whispered huskily in his ear, nipping at his earlobe, causing him to reactively thrust again, "Mmm, just like that," She hummed as he began to slowly rock into her until they were gasping at the sensation elicited from their joining.

She could feel herself getting close again when he whimpered, "Deeper, need deeper," with the question in his eye. She gave him a minute nod of her head, groaning as he withdrew and pulled her down from the vanity. She gave him a wicked look and bent over the counter; her legs spread for him. When he entered her again, she let out a long guttural groan as he was now stimulating areas he had been unable to reach with their original position.

"Oh, God," She grunted pressing back against him, meeting him thrust for thrust, "So close!"

"Me too, Baby, I'm gonna, I'm gonna," His rhythm became erratic until he let lose a deep groan as he gave a few quick, firm thrusts and she felt him let go, which triggered her own release. She felt him press soft kissed across her shoulders, neck and back as he slowly withdrew from her. "Bath?"

Sarah let out a soft giggle, turning to wrap her arms around his shoulders and press a kiss to his lips before going to check the temperature of the tub. The water had grown lukewarm while they were otherwise occupied so she drained most of the water and began to refill the tub.

They took their time relaxing and enjoying the warm water that surrounded them, every so often their casual touches became more deliberate, eliciting sighs of pleasure from their partners. Once their bath water had grown cool again, drying themselves with the fluffy towels the property provided for them and slipped on their robes to meander to their bed where they stripped down once more and climbed into bed, indulging in one more round of slow lovemaking before finally falling asleep.


	23. Chapter 23

Chuck and Sarah awoke on their second day in Napa, wrapped in each other's arms, and basking in the silence of the morning. "Does it make me a terrible mother that I sent my child off to stay with her grandmother so that I can have as much uninterrupted sex as I want without having to sensor myself or my volume. Not to mention that I'm really enjoying being able to take my time waking up because I don't have a toddler that I have to free from her crib to change?" Sarah pondered softly, not even wanting to expend the energy to lift her head to meet her boyfriend's eyes.

"No," Chuck assured her, "And last I checked your mother more or less demanded we relinquish our daughter to her to take this mini vacation where I'm sure she's aware on some level we are indulging in unrestrained, passionate, lovemaking."

"Are you sure you're not just saying that to make me feel better?" Sarah pouted.

"Yes, Ellie went through the same thing the first time she and Devon left Clara with the Very Awesomes to take a weekend to themselves." Chuck kissed her on her head, running his hand up and down her arm in comforting circles. "Would it make you feel better if we called your mom so you can talk to her and Molly?"

"Maybe," Sarah sighed.

Sarah felt Chuck shift a little beneath her, but much to her delight, did not fully relinquish his hold on her. She heard the soft click indicating he'd unlocked his phone and the long tone of him activating a speed dial number before handing the phone to her. Sarah gave him a soft smile as she sat up in bed, pulling the covers up over her chest, it somehow felt wrong to speak to her mother while not covered by at least something.

"_I was wondering how long it was going to take before you broke down and called_," Her mother greeted her. "_I admit you lasted at least 12 hours longer than I thought you would._"

She saw Chuck sit up and felt him press a soft kiss to the back of her shoulder before getting out of the bed and walking stark naked to the bathroom. "I was a little… distracted," Sarah hummed.

"_I just bet you were_," Emma chuckled wryly, "_I don't want details about what was so distracting you couldn't call your mother over the needless guilt you are undoubtedly feeling right now, but are you having a good time?_"

"Yeah, I am," Sarah sighed, "It's beautiful up here, despite it still being a little chilly and I'm really liking getting to know a new side to Ellie. She's really getting to be one of my best girlfriends. I'm kinda looking forward to our spa day today."

"_I'm glad to hear it,"_ Sarah could hear her mother's smile over the phone line, "_Are you wanting to speak with Molly?"_

Sarah's eyes lit up, "Yes." She heard her mother's soft chuckle and movement over the phone line.

"_Molly, your mommy's on the phone,_" Emma's voice could be heard followed by the sound of the phone being partly handed over to someone else, _"Say hi."_

_ "Hi mama_," Sarah heard the sweet voice of her daughter.

"Hi baby," She held back tears as she realized how much she'd been missing that little voice, "Are you being good for Granny?"

"_Yeah, Granny show 'olly Cuzzy big kitty ROAR!"_

"Did you see the lions when Granny took you to the zoo yesterday?" Sarah smiled. "Are you and Clara having fun playing together?"

As Sarah spoke with her daughter, listening to the little girl's somewhat disjointed report of what all she had been up to with her granny and cousin, Chuck returned from the bathroom and climbed back in bed, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling her neck. "Is that Molly?" He whispered in her free ear. When she nodded her confirmation, he gave her his puppy dog look that clearly meant he wanted to talk to Molly too.

Sara smiled up at him and put the phone on speaker, "_…sammish an' juice." _They heard through the speaker.

"Sounds like Granny is spoiling you," Sarah chuckled, "Hey Daddy is here too."

"Hey Sweet Pea," Chuck's grin was infectious as he spoke to the nearly two-year-old, who continued to prattle on after pausing to acknowledge her father's greeting. She was telling them about watching Dora with her cousin when they heard Emma tell her it was time to say goodbye.

"_Hey sorry about that, but Ellie just texted me to give me a heads up she was going to be calling to speak to Clara before you ladies head off to the spa,"_ Emma explained.

"That's okay, Mom," Sarah assured her, "Thanks for letting us speak to her."

"Yeah, thanks, Em," Chuck grinned.

"_You're welcome,_" Emma responded, "_Now you two kids go have fun and stop worrying that you're bad parents for letting me have a weekend with my favorite grandbabies_."

"They're your only grandbabies," Sarah pointed out.

"_Hopefully not for long, if I get my way_," It was clearly meant to sound like an aside, but they recognized the not so subtle hint Emma was dropping.

"Mom!" Sarah huffed.

"_Bye, Sweetheart, bye Chuck,_" Emma sing-songed.

"Bye Mom," "Bye Em," Sarah and Chuck rolled their eyes as the call disconnected.

"That woman is as subtle as a freight train," Sarah groaned good naturedly, "I don't know if it would have been worse or better if she'd dropped hints about what a lovely setting Napa is for a proposal or a wedding."

Thankfully, she didn't notice the uncomfortable look that flashed over her boyfriend's face before he relaxed once more. "Maybe she figures we're already living together…" He trailed off. '_Good thing I remembered to get the ring out of my pants pocket before she found it,' _Chuck thought.

"Yeah, maybe." Sarah shrugged. "Hey, I'm gonna go get in the shower before we head to breakfast."

"Alright," Chuck nodded, watching Sarah head off to the bathroom only to have her pause at the door separating the two rooms.

"Well?" She gave him an expectant look, "You coming? The shower's really big, a girl could get lonely in there."

Chuck beamed at her, scrambling out of bed and practically running toward her as she disappeared into the bathroom with a squeal.

* * *

"So, how was your night?" Elle gave them a knowing look as they sat down for breakfast.

"It was fine," Chuck nodded, trying to look nonchalant as he took a bite of his omelet.

"Bro, you are the man! Awesome!" Devon enthused, sitting next to his wife after returning from getting a second helping of fruit and yogurt and noticing the omelet his brother-in-law was eating, "Filling up on the protein, huh? You know if we were home, I'd make you up one of my ginseng smoothies, they're great for your wang energy."

Chuck choked on his bite of egg as Ellie looked at her husband in shock.

"Believe me, he doesn't need help in that department," Sarah blushed.

"Well after what I heard last night, he discharged quite a bit of energy," Devon speculated, "Couldn't hurt to get a bit of a recharge."

"Devon!" Ellie scolded.

"What?" Devon looked genuinely mystified at his wife's reaction, "I know you heard them too."

"Can we please put a pin in this conversation and renew it like… never?" Chuck pleaded, his blush growing deeper on his neck and cheeks.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Devon protested, "More power to ya… or to Sarah as the case may be."

"Oh my God," Chuck groaned, dropping his face in his hands as Ellie and Sarah apologized to the guests around them who had overheard the conversation to varying levels of amusement and disapproval.

"Devon," Ellie rounded on her husband, her tone firm, "Outside. Now."

Chuck and Sarah saw Ellie practically drag her husband outside and could see them through the bay windows. Devon was trying to defend himself while Ellie lectured him on what is and is not appropriate topics of conversation in public. Had the man been shorter, they could almost see her dragging him out by his ear like a misbehaving child. When the older couple returned, Chuck and Sarah did their best to ignore the sheepish look on Devon's face.

They finished up their meals and headed out toward Chuck's car to see the girls off. Chuck and Devon held the doors for their ladies as Sarah slid behind the wheel and Ellie took the passenger seat. Soon the top was down, and the girls were kicking up dust as they left the rural property to head for the spa as Devon and Chuck meandered back to their cabins to grab their rucksacks.

* * *

Since they had some time to kill before any of the breweries and distilleries on their tour were set to open, they'd gotten some suggestions on things to do in the area. Kayaking was out since they didn't do rentals this early in the year, and the guys didn't golf or play tennis. Luckily there was a hiking trail not too far away. They had donned boots, sturdy pants, t-shirts and sweatshirts in preparation of their hike and went to meet the SUV that would serve as their transportation for the day. Their driver was a great resource and took them to one of the best trails, one he, himself enjoyed taking. When he found out the guys were fathers, he began to regale them with stories of his own children and the adventures he and his wife would take them on.

"I assume you're here with your wives?" The driver, Rick, asked, "Napa is not usually first on the list for a guys' weekend."

"Yeah," Chuck nodded, not bothering to correct the man, "We received this trip as a gift from a family member, but I think she was just wanting to get our girls all to herself this weekend."

"Whose mom?" Rick chuckled.

"My mother-in-law," Chuck shrugged, "She's been after us to relinquish the girls for longer than a day for a while now."

"Wanted to get her 'Granny time' with the girls," Devon added, "Not to mention we all have busy jobs so it's nice to get away from the city and decompress, you know?"

"What city?"

"Los Angeles."

"Busy city," Rick observed.

"You have no idea," Devon shook his head, "Sometimes it seems like every traffic accident gets routed to our ER."

"Doctors, impressive," Rick nodded.

"My wife and I met in medical school," Devon smiled, "I'm a cardiothoracic surgeon and she's a neurologist."

"What about you Chuck?" Rick glanced at him through the rearview mirror, "You a doctor too?"

"Um, no," Chuck shook his head, "I really don't do blood beyond fixing a skinned knee. I create and design video games."

"Don't downplay yourself, Bro," Devon rolled his eyes, "My bro-in-law here is the owner and CEO of Orion Games."

"Wait, what?" They saw Rick's eyes widened, "You're_ that_ Chuck? Chuck Bartowski?"

"Guilty," Chuck shrugged.

"Oh man, my sons love your games!" Rick enthused, "Especially that one… oh what was it? Oh, right, 'Code Name Carmichael.' They didn't even realize they were learning STEM stuff until they'd been at it for a while. I mean how'd you come up with that concept?"

"Well, that one was kind of a prototype to see if we could produce and sell educational software with any degree of success." Chuck smiled, "I've always been a nerd, I mean comics, video games, SpyFi, Sci-Fi, you name it, I guarantee I geeked out over it at some point, and so much of it, tied back to STEM. I mean even James Bond had Q. Growing up I wanted to be a spy and get to play with all those cool gadgets. But I was just some skinny kid from Burbank so that was out the window."

The guys chuckled. "So, I figured I'd do the next best thing and like all good gamers, live out my fantasies inside of a game. I knew there had to be more to spy craft than gadgets, guns, and pretty girls so I did some research, like any self-respecting nerd would, and found there was a lot of STEM-related work involved like encryption and encoding, government-sanctioned hacking, chemistry, and more. I also wanted to make it educational and age-appropriate."

"I'd noticed that your game required age and grade level when creating the avatar." Rick nodded. "My wife, Vicky, caught on pretty quickly that when our sons play, despite doing the same missions, at the same difficulty level, that the content is slightly different. She said she really appreciated that the content was age appropriate while challenging the player to improve."

"Have your sons ever gone back after acing one of the missions to play again?" Chuck inquired.

Rick gave him a knowing look, "Yeah, Bryan did, a couple times, he eventually skilled up a grade level in the game."

"Which meant he completed all the skills in that section at the highest difficulty for his age and grade level." Chuck smiled, "Must be a smart kid."

"He really is," Rick nodded, "But he didn't realize it until he started getting more challenging math and science class work than some of his classmates. The school has even suggested having him test for the accelerated program because he has advanced so much. I'm sure he would have wanted to eventually take more challenging classes once he hit junior high or high school, but until recently he tested on the higher side of normal for his age bracket."

"I have an education specialist on my R&D team. He spent a lot of time looking over what the standard curriculum for each grade level is and helping myself and the rest of the developers with tailoring the mini-games and puzzles to support and compliment that curriculum."

"I don't need to know how the sausage is made," Rick chuckled, "Whatever you're doing, keep it up. You're doing great work. My kids are learning, and advancing, and they don't even realize it's due in part to a video game. Tom is in junior high and just started on the coding and encryption levels. He's been talking about what he might want to do when he's older and video game or software development are on the list."

"I'll have to keep an eye out for him in about eight to ten years," Chuck pulled his wallet out of his pocket and extracted a business card, handing it to Rick, who was pulling into the parking area for the hiking trailhead. "If you and yours ever find yourselves in Los Angeles, give me a call. I'd love to show your family around, especially Tom and Bryan."

"That's really cool of you, Mr. Bartowski."

"Chuck, please," He corrected.

"Chuck," Rick nodded, "Thank you."

"Hey, gotta encourage the next generation of STEM superstars," Chuck shrugged then looked toward the trailhead, "So this is it, eh?"

"Yep," Rick nodded, putting the SUV in gear and hopping out to open the tailgate where Chuck and Devon had stowed their gear, "It's a relatively short hike, shouldn't take more than an hour or two round trip, and the view from the Vista is amazing."

"Awesome," Devon smiled, "Are you sure you don't want to join us? Maybe pick the Chuckster's brain a bit more?" He teased.

"Wish I could, but I left my hiking gear at home," Rick sighed, "If I'd known I'd be driving around with a couple of really cool dudes, showing them some of my favorite trails, I would have dressed more appropriately."

"Tell ya what," Devon grinned getting a great idea, "When you bring the fam down to nerd it up with my bro here, we'll take you out to Angeles National Forest to show you our favorite hiking trails, since you were awesome enough to show us one of yours. We'd make it a family thing. I'm sure Ellie and Sarah would love to meet your Vicki."

"That sounds really cool," Rick clapped Devon on the back, "We may just take you, both of you, up on your offers. For now though, you might want to head out or else you'll be late for the real reason you'd hired me to drive your eventually buzzed asses around."

"You sure you'll be okay down here?" Chuck checked, shrugging on his ruck sack.

"I'll be fine," Rick nodded, "Got a book to read, snacks and water, and my phone to talk to Vicki when she gets Holly down for her nap."

"Alright, see ya in a bit, man," Devon nodded before joining his brother-in-law up the marked trail.


	24. Chapter 24

"That Rick dude wasn't kidding," Devon smiled, "Super easy going. I can see why he brings his kids out here."

"And he was right about the beautiful views from this vista," Chuck agreed, "Maybe we could come back once the weather warms up a bit more. Clara should be able to handle this trail with little difficulty and I could easily get one of those backpack carrier things for Molly."

"No need, bro," Devon shook his head, "We still have ours from when Clara was little. Never got rid of it since we want to have one or two more… or that you would meet someone and there might eventually be a Baby Bartowski who might require the need of it. Unless we both wind up with little ones at the same time, we can just share the thing until it falls apart."

"Not a bad idea," Chuck shrugged.

"Oh, which reminds me, Ellie was going through some of the stuff we have in storage and found a few boxes of Clara's old stuff, do you think Sarah would be interested in any of it for Molly?" Devon asked, taking a sip of water from the bottle he'd pulled from his ruck sack.

"It would certainly save us some money," Chuck nodded, "She grows so fast, we can't dress her in the same outfit more than a few times before it's too small. I don't think it would be an issue taking Clara's hand-me-downs, Ellie and I practically grew up in hand-me-downs from Morgan's cousins… at least until we got too tall for that to be feasible anymore. Let me run it past Sarah first, though."

"Awesome," Devon nodded, "Should we head back?"

"Yeah, don't want to keep Rick waiting too long," Chuck shrugged, and the men headed back down the trail to meet up with their driver.

Rick was on the phone with his wife when he saw his passengers emerge from the trail, "Hun, I gotta go, those guys I was telling your about are back."

"_Alright,"_ Vicki acknowledged, "_We'll see you tonight, I'm making Salmon for us and fish sticks for the kids. How's that sound?_"

"Delicious," Rick smiled, "I'll see you then. Love you."

"_Love you too._"

Rick climbed out of the SUV to greet Devon and Chuck, "So, how was the hike?"

"Beautiful," Chuck grinned, "We're thinking we might bring the fam up once it warms up a bit to enjoy it together."

"Let me know when and if I'm not working, maybe we'll join you," Rick suggested.

"That would be awesome," Devon nodded, "Hey is there some where around here we can change real quick? Don't want to be wearing trail dust the rest of the day."

"There are some restrooms over there," Rick pointed to the other end of the parking area where there was a break in the trees.

"Great, be back in a jiff." Devon and Chuck made their way over to the restrooms and true to Devon's word, they were changed and back to Rick in a matter of minutes.

"Well you two certainly clean up good," He nodded appreciatively to the men who had both donned button-down shirts, Chuck's green-striped shirt paired with dark wash jeans and his new all-stars, and Devon wearing a blue shirt with khakis and casual brown oxfords. The men nodded their appreciation and loaded up in the SUV to head to their next destination, a local brew house.

* * *

"Oh my God, this is heaven," Sarah sighed slipping into the hot tub next to Ellie.

"It is, isn't it?" Ellie smiled, "Remind me to thank your mom for thinking of it. I just wish I could have done more like gotten gels or something, but the hospital won't allow it, too easy for germs and critters to hid up underneath."

"Aw, that's too bad," Sarah cooed with fake sympathy, lifting her red gel manicured hand and giving it in appreciative look over. "That must be so awful for you."

"Shut up," Ellie nudged her and laughed, "But seriously, I saw the price list, just the mani-pedis alone were a pretty penny, not to mention the day use fee and the massages."

"She insisted," Sarah shrugged.

The women sat in silence for a while before Ellie spoke, "So has it happened yet?"

"Has what happened yet?" Sarah turned to her friend.

"The mopey mommies?" Ellie elaborated, "That sudden grip of guilt that hits you the first time you leave you child behind to take a day or two to yourself."

"Oh, that," Sarah chuckled, "Yeah, it hit me this morning, actually. Mom called me on it before I could even say a word."

"I figured she would," Ellie nodded, "After all, she was the one who helped me thorough my moments. After I got back from maternity leave, she noticed I was a bit off because I felt bad leaving Clara with a sitter during the day. She assured me that it was normal and made sure I knew that it was okay to not be okay with it but that the guilt would eventually fade. Later, when Devon and I took a long weekend to ourselves and left Clara with his parents, I went through it again. Devon's mom was no help, and I mentioned it to your mom in passing after we'd returned, again she assured me it was normal. She told me that there's nothing wrong with calling your kids when you're away, so long as you don't over do it, limit it to once or twice a day and the rest of the time let yourself relax. In case you didn't already now it, your mom is amazing."

"She kinda is, isn't she?" Sarah smiled and rested her head on the edge of the hot tub. "You're pretty amazing yourself, Ellie. I'm glad we've become friends."

"You too, girlfriend," Ellie beamed over at the younger girl, "You're getting the hang of it, and some day maybe you'll be able to help out another friend who is going through the same thing."

* * *

The boys had spent the afternoon at a couple breweries sampling their unique brews before Rick drove them to their final stop of the day a local distillery which had recently gaining acclaim within their area as being one of the best. They'd been shown to a table on the patio and their server, a petite redhead approached with a tray of glasses, each holding a finger of whiskey for their sampling pleasure. She offered them cigars to compliment the blend, which they politely declined. Devon had never been a fan of smoking, even socially, and Chuck had smoked when he was in high school and college, but had worked hard to kick the habit.

They'd sampled the first couple glasses and were relaxing with their last, enjoying the view when Devon looked over at his brother-in-law with an evaluating look, "Alright, so what is up with you, Bro?"

"What do you mean?" Chuck furrowed he brown and returned Devon's look.

"You've been acting really weird this weekend man, like you're nervous about something," Devon explained, "Is there something wrong?"

"No," Chuck shook his head, "Well not exactly. When Morgan and I went to the pier last weekend, we got to talking. He said some stuff that really made me think, and I kinda did something really impulsive."

"Impulsive?" Now it was Devon's turn to look confused.

Instead of replying, Chuck slipped his hand into his pocket and extracted a box, setting it on the table in front of his brother-in-law. Devon looked between Chuck and the box a couple times before reaching out and opening it, a smile spreading across his face.

"Awesome," He whispered, "When are you gonna do it?"

"That's the thing, I really don't have a plan," Chuck shrugged, "Morgan mentioned something that Casey had said about just letting it happen and not trying to make it into some big production. So, I've been carrying that thing around with me all weekend in case the right moment presents itself. There've been a few times I thought it was the time, but we were interrupted, or something happened, or…"

"Yeah I get ya," Devon nodded, "Well, I'm happy for you, and Ellie will be too."

"Devon, you can't tell her," Chuck insisted, "She'll explode with Ellie joy and ruin everything."

"I'm not going to lie to her," Devon shook his head, "But I won't say anything unless she asks."

"Thanks, man," Chuck smiled appreciatively.

Devon closed the box and handed it back to Chuck before raising his glass to the younger man, "To the next step in your life. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Dev," Chuck tapped his glass against Devon's and the men drank their toast. It was then that Chuck noticed the time displayed on his watch, "We should probably get going. I don't know about you, but Sarah and I have reservations and I still gotta change."

Devon spared a glance at his watch as well, "We do too, let's go." They left a substantial tip for their waitress and headed out to meet up with Rick at the SUV to head back to the Bed and Breakfast to prepare for their dates.

* * *

Since Ellie and Sarah wanted to surprise their guys, they were already in Chuck and Sarah's cabin getting ready. When Chuck attempted to enter, Ellie pressed the garment bag holding his brand-new Armani suit into his chest, pushed him out of the door frame and pointed to her own cabin where Devon stood on his porch, smirking in amusement over the whole thing. Chuck rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders with a 'what can you do?' expression on his face as he ambled over and followed Devon into the cabin.

To say the surprise was worth it, was an understatement. The guys were told to wait an hour before retrieving their dates and had spent the time between getting ready and picking them up to drive down to a local flower shop and pickup flowers for their ladies before returning.

When the door of Chuck and Sarah's cabin swung open to reveal Ellie and Sarah, the guys' jaws practically hit the floor.

"Wow," Chuck sighed, seeing Sarah in an elegant deep blue halter dress that matched her eyes and hugged her frame before flowing down to her knees which she'd paired with silver strappy heels. The only jewelry she wore was a pair of diamond studs which had been a gift from Chuck for Christmas, and the charm bracelet he'd presented her with on her birthday.

Devon had a similar reaction to Ellie when she appeared wearing a form fitting black dress with silver detailing along the waist and black pumps, and if one had been listening close enough, they would have heard a quiet, "Awesome," Escape his lips.

Devon recovered first, mounting the steps to his wife, a single red rose in his hand. "Shall we?" He handed his bride her rose and kissed her on the cheek so as to not smudge the dark red lipstick she was wearing before offering his arm to her.

Ellie smiled and took his arm, descending the stairs. They stopped briefly to bid Chuck good night before heading to Chuck's car which they were borrowing for the night.

Chuck's grin was infectious as he approached Sarah, handing her a small cluster of gardenias, "Every time I think you can't look more beautiful, you go and prove me wrong."

"Thank you," Sarah blushed, "You look very handsome, yourself."

"Are you ready to go?" He offered his arm.

"Yes," She linked her arm though his and allowed him to guide her down the stairs, "Where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise." Chuck grinned cheekily as a black town car pulled up, the driver exiting and opening the rear door for them. They drove for a while before pulling up in front of a large hotel.

"Chuck?" Sarah looked at him inquisitively.

"The restaurant is attached to the hotel," He explained, exiting when the driver opened his door and assisting her out, making sure she was steady on her feet before guiding her into the elegant dining room.

"Buonasera, welcome to La Touque," The hostess greeted them with a warm smile.

"Good evening," Chuck nodded, "Reservation for Bartowski."

The hostess checked her book and nodded to them, "Mr. and Mrs. Bartowski, if you'll follow me." She guided them to a table tucked away in the corner and waited as Chuck held Sarah's chair out for her. "Your dinner service will begin in a moment, buon appetito!"

Once the hostess had left, Sarah leaned over the table, "I think she forgot to give us our menus."

"No, she didn't," Chuck shook his head, "I arranged for us to enjoy the Chef's Tasting Menu tonight."

"Good evening," A trim man approached, a bottle of wine in his hand, "My name is Joseph, and I will be your sommelier tonight. May I offer you something to start?"

"Please," Chuck nodded.

Joseph poured a small portion in to one of the glasses set in front of Chuck and offered it to him, waiting as Chuck took a small sip and nodded his approval before pouring both of his guests a small serving of the wine. He bowed and took his exit.

A short while later a young woman with long chestnut hair plaited back in a conservative braid approached, "Good evening, my name is Tali, and I'll be your server this evening. I know you called ahead, however are there any dietary restrictions we need to know about before we start your dinner service?"

"I'm allergic to olives," Sarah informed the young woman.

"Very well, I will make sure Chef is aware," The woman smiled before taking her exit as well.

"Chuck," Sarah looked at him curiously, "This is nice and all, but this has got to be expensive."

"It's okay," Chuck assured her, "We can afford it. Not all the time, but once in a while I want to treat you to something a little extra special."

"Alright," Sarah smiled at him, bemused, and relaxed.

A moment later, Tali returned with their first dish, Joseph right behind pouring a small portion of vino to accompany the dish. Once Sarah and Chuck were served, they took their leave once more to allow the couple to enjoy their first course. This was repeated until they had enjoyed a full 6-course dinner with a rich chocolate mousse for dessert.

As Sarah was savoring the last few bites of her mousse, Chuck waved Tali over to settle the check, "Thank you for a lovely meal and please pass our compliments on to the chef and his team."

"Of course, we're glad you enjoyed your meal, Mr. Bartowski," Tali nodded, "I will be back in a moment."

As soon as Tali returned with Chuck's card and the bill was signed, Chuck assisted Sarah from her seat once more and they met with their car once more. A short time later, the car was pulling up to a small venue. Sarah could hear the music emanating from inside and looked at her boyfriend in wide-eyed amazement.

"Figured you'd like to end the night with a little dancing," He shrugged with a charming smile before exiting the car and helping her out once more.

Once inside, Chuck ordered an amoretto sunrise for Sarah and a scotch, neat, for himself. They found a table and enjoyed the blues band that was playing.

"Thank you for coming out this evening," The lead singer, a curvatious woman with long, honey brown, hair and a beautiful smile greeted them, "For those who may not know us, we are The Sugar Thieves. We're going to slow things down for a bit," She grinned and the band began playing '_I Got That Feelin_.'

Chuck saw Sarah swaying in her seat as the bluesy ballad was performed and held out his hand. With a smile she accepted and soon found herself in his arms swaying on the dance floor. When the music picked back up again, they reclaimed their seats and enjoyed the band. After the last set was played, they once again returned to the car for their ride home.

"So, what did you think?" Chuck asked as they rode along.

"Of the band?" Sarah looked up at him.

"Sure, the band, the night, all of it," Chuck smiled down at her.

"I really enjoyed all of it," Sarah sighed, resting her head on his shoulder, "The band was amazing. Did you notice how the guitar player, Michael, couldn't take his eyes off of the lead singer?"

"Well he is married to her," He chuckled, "They were the founding members of the band, back when they went by Michael and Meredith."

"That's kinda cool," Sarah agreed, "To be able to do something like that together."

"Yeah, it is," Chuck agreed.

The rest of the ride back to the bed and breakfast was quiet as they sat in quiet contemplation of their night. Upon arriving back at their cottage, they took their time disrobing each other and made love well into the early hours of the morning when they finally drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Both couples were glad of 1pm check out time the Bed and Breakfast had as none of them had managed to get out of bed until after 11:30. Ellie and Chuck quickly exchanged the clothes that were left behind in each other's units and they all set to work packing up their things and loading them up in their cars. Stopping at a local bistro, they collected the boxed lunches they'd pre-ordered and began their convoy back to Burbank.

With stops for gas and dinner, they did not arrive at Emma's to collect the girls until after 8:30 at night. Both girls were asleep in Emma's guest room when their fathers silently crept in to retrieve them carrying them out to the car as Sarah and Ellie collected their daughters' things and thanked Emma for everything she had done for them before joining their families back in their cars and finishing their drive home.

"I've got her, if you can take care of the bags," Sarah spoke softly so as to not wake the slumbering toddler.

"Okay," Chuck nodded, popping the trunk of the car and grabbing a couple bags, carrying them into the courtyard an on to their condo where he lay the bags just inside the entryway but out of Sarah's way when she entered, a still sleeping Molly in her arms.

By the time Chuck had finished unloading the bags and locked and armed the car, Sarah had settled Molly, who'd woken a little during the transfer to her crib, back to sleep. She was still watching over her daughter when she felt Chuck's presence behind her, "She woke up a little when I was putting her to bed, but she's out now."

"Glad to be home?" Chuck asked quietly, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing a kiss to her neck where it met her shoulders, feeling her shiver at the contact.

"Mm-hmm," Sarah hummed her agreement, "I missed her so much. Having her here with us, I can't think of anything I would want more."

"I can," Chuck smiled, one arm releasing its hold on her.

Sarah cold feel a slight movement behind her before she saw Chuck's right hand appear, despite the low light in the room, courtesy of the hall light, she could see a small box in his hand. With a flick of his middle and ring fingers, he flipped the lid open one handed revealing a platinum ring with a half eternity setting and a haloed solitaire. She felt her breath hitch and her eyes mist up as emotion overwhelmed her.

"The only way I could see our lives being even more perfect than they are now," Chuck whispered against her ear, "Is if you would make me the happiest man alive and agree to marry me."

"Oh Charlie," She sighed and turned to face him.

Chuck met her eyes and gave her a loving smile as he took her left hand in his own and slowly lowered himself to one knee, "Jenny, I have loved you since he first day I met you nearly ten years ago. I've always known you were special to me and I am so awed and proud of the woman and the mother you have become. Jenny, will you marry me?"

Sarah's joy radiated from her smile as she eagerly nodded, "Yes, Charlie. Oh my God, of course!" Her smile broadened as she watched him gently remove the ring from the box and place it on her left hand.

He kissed her hand and stood, wrapping her up in his arms for a long passionate kiss in celebration. '_Casey was right, all I needed was the girl to make it perfect_.' He thought as he lifted his fiancée in his arms and carried her to their room to continue their celebration.

* * *

"In case it hasn't been clear the last several months," Chuck spoke softly, breaking the silence as they rested, naked and sated in each other's arms, "And with your blessing, I plan to adopt Molly just as soon as Clavo lets us know that Bryce has signed the parental severance paperwork.

"Of course, you have my blessing," Sarah shifted until she was facing him, "You are and have been her daddy since the day you came back into our lives. She hasn't known any other father in her life. And if I were to have picked any man to be her daddy, you would be it."

"I love you," Chuck beamed up at her, pulling her down to him for a long kiss.

"I love you too," She smiled against his lips before settling back down into the warm embrace of her fiancé's arms, dreams of walking down the aisle and promising to be his forever more filling her mind as she slept peacefully through the night.


	25. Chapter 25

The Monday following the trip to Napa, Ellie was scheduled for an early shift, and Devon was working his monthly hours at the free clinic which was on the other side of town. Sarah also had an early day as Gladys was taking a sick day to get some dental work done, which meant she was on her own with teaching that day. Luckily Chuck worked for himself and had already let Morgan know he would be a little late coming into the office so he could drop both Molly and Clara off at childcare.

At five in the morning, there was a knock on Chuck and Sarah's door. Since Sarah was upstairs getting ready, Chuck went to answer. Devon was standing there in his scrubs and a tan jacket, holding a sleeping Molly in one arm, her head balanced on his shoulder, and holding her backpack and a small tote in his other hand.

"'Morning, Devon," Chuck smiled sleepily at his brother-in-law, taking the bags from him and setting them to the side before holding his hands out to receive his niece. "Hand Sleeping Beauty over here, I'll lay her down in Molly's room." Shortly after Christmas, Devon and Chuck had put together a twin bed in the room in case the girls ever had a sleepover.

"So, did you do it?" Devon asked conspiratorially as he handed his daughter over.

"Did I do what, Dev?" Chuck quirked an eyebrow at the older man.

"Did you pop the big Q?" Devon pressed, "I mean I didn't see any new bling before we drove home, but I know how private you are with that kind of stuff."

Chuck smiled at the man who knew him so well, "Yeah, last night after we put Molly to bed. I was just watching her sing to Molly and I just couldn't wait any more."

"Dude!" Devon's enthusiasm was clear even through his whispered exclamation, "That's awesome!"

"Thanks," Chuck beamed, "We're pretty happy about it, but we don't want to make a big deal out of it."

"Why the heck not?" Devon looked at him like he was crazy.

"We don't want to steal Morgan and Alex's thunder with their wedding coming up in a couple months." Chuck shrugged.

"Don't be stupid, bro," Devon chastised him, "You know your little buddy will be over the moon when you tell him, and you know he's gonna ask. He was there when you got the ring."

"Who was there?" Sarah asked, coming down the stairs. Chuck couldn't help the loving awe that crossed his face as he took her in from head to toe. She had curled her hair into soft waves and was wearing a lilac blouse, a modest grey pencil skirt and kitten heels in deference to the fact she was going to be on her feet more than she usually was that day.

"Wow," Chuck sighed and leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips when she walked over, "Good morning, Beautiful."

"Good morning," She smiled up at him, "So, who was where?"

"Morgan was there when your guy here picked out your ring," Devon explained.

"He was?" Sarah arched an eyebrow at her fiancé.

"Yeah, it was when you and Ellie were out with Alex and the girls were out dress shopping." Chuck shrugged, "Morgan and I went to the arcade at the pier. We got to talking and I mentioned that I was thinking about proposing. He shared some advice that Major Casey gave him and suggested…" He heard Devon snort and gave him the stink eye before continuing, "That I find a ring and carry it with me in case the right moment presented itself."

"Ah," Sarah nodded knowingly, "That explains why you were acting so weird this weekend."

"Weird?" Chuck scoffed, "I was not acting weird."

"Yeah you were, Bro," Devon smirked, "I even told you that you were. Ellie noticed too, I'm a little surprised she didn't say anything."

"Actually, she did," Sarah snickered, "She asked me if you were up to something, I told her no… little did I know." She patted his cheek lovingly with her left hand.

"Okay, okay," Chuck gave in, "I get it, I'm the worst covert planner in the world."

"It's okay, Sweetie," Sarah cooed, "I think it was really sweet what you were trying to do. I would have said yes to you regardless of if it had been in Napa or with you kneeling on the floor of our daughter's room. I love you and can't wait to be your wife."

"I love you too," Chuck smiled down at her, "And I can't wait until you are my wife."

"If you have any hope of getting to that point without my wife, your sister, murdering you for not talking to her about this first, you might want to let he know," Devon suggested, "And you might want to stand back so as to not be bowled over by the planning frenzy that will likely ensue."

"Don't you have clinic hours to get to?" Chuck smirked at his brother-in-law.

"I can take a hint," Devon chuckled, hands up in mock surrender, "I'll see you later, Bro."

"See ya later, Man," Chuck smiled, "Doctor good and what not."

"They don't call me Captain Awesome for nothing," Devon joked before kissing his daughter's head, congratulating the newly engaged couple, and heading out the door.

"I should get going too," Sarah gave him a soft smile, "I have lesson plans to review before first period starts."

"I wish we could have spent more time celebrating," Chuck sighed, giving her a warm kiss over their niece's shoulder.

"Me too," Sarah nodded, "But there's always tonight, and maybe if you have time, you can swing by for lunch, we have some rooms upstairs that are partially emptied out since the kids have their uniforms for parade season." She gave him a salacious wink. "And if you're really lucky, I'll show you how I get this skirt to fit so well."

"Hey-oh," Chuck gasped, a blush rising up his cheeks, "I-I think I might be able to clear my schedule… hey will you look at that, I'm free for lunch!"

"I thought you would be," Sarah grinned and pulled her jacket from the closet, shrugging it on. "I'll see you then," She slung her purse over her shoulder, grabbed her violin case, gave Chuck one last kiss and headed out the door.

Chuck stood staring at the door a few moments and shook his head, "You're aunt is gonna be the death of me," He whispered to the still sleeping Clara before carrying her upstairs to let her sleep a couple more hours before dropping her off at school and Molly at daycare.

* * *

When Chuck arrived at work, he ducked into Morgan's office to see him sitting and chatting with a young Indian man. The two looked up at his knock before the Indian man let out a sigh and reluctantly withdrew a few bills from his wallet to hand over to Morgan.

"Do I even want to know?" Chuck arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, like you don't know," Morgan scoffed, "It's practically written all over your face! You did it didn't you?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Chuck tried to brush his best friend off, "And even if I did, don't you think that all the dogs in a five mile radius would be going crazy from the squeal my sister would have released?"

The other two men rolled their eyes and shook their heads. "Chuck, my dude," The Indian man laughed, "The only reason that hasn't happened is because your sister must have not seen you since it happened."

"And what exactly do you think happened, Manoosh?" Chuck gave the graphic designer an incredulous look.

"Aside from a weekend filled with wine and the sweet, sweet, lovin' of your lady love?" Manoosh smirked, "You proposed, and she said yes. There's no other explanation for the lack of the ring box that has been present in your right pocket for the past couple weeks. …Unless you eloped, please tell me you didn't elope."

"He didn't elope," Morgan scoffed, "He wouldn't elope without calling Ellie and me first."

"You two are worse that two old biddies at a quilting bee," Chuck rolled his eyes, "Okay, yes, I proposed to Sarah, yes we are officially engaged. Just please, please, don't tell Ellie? We're going over there tonight to tell her."

"Oh my God!" Morgan's eyes widened, "Are you telling me that everyone, but Ellie, knows?"

"Not _everyone_," Chuck protested, "We haven't told Alex."

"No, man, Alex knows," Morgan shook his head, "She's known since you got the rings, she approves by the way. But seriously, Dude, Ellie is going to straight up _murder_ you for not being the first you told."

"No, she's not," Chuck huffed, "I asked the woman I love to marry me, something Ellie has been hinting that I do since Thanksgiving, by the way. She'll be happy for us, we're getting married, not running away to join the CIA…"

"CIA, good one," Morgan chuckled, "When you tell her, leave me out of it. I don't want to deal with an eruption from Mount St. Eleanor."

"And on that cheerful note, I'm going to head to my office to get some work done," Chuck rolled his eyes at his best friend's dramatics, "I suggest you two gossiping biddies do that same."

As he walked off, he overheard Manoosh's last remark to Morgan, "We're the gossiping biddies in that scenario, right?"

* * *

By midway through the advanced orchestra's warm-ups, Sarah was already frustrated over the attention her new jewelry had caused. It seemed they couldn't move on from one scale to the next without random whispers flickering throughout the room. It finally got to the point that she couldn't take it anymore. She brought the band to a rest and huffed, "Alright, I've had enough, the whispering between sets has got to stop, so let's have it. What is going on with you?"

"Miss Walker," Julie, a senior in the French horn section raised her hand, "We just couldn't help but notice you have some new jewelry."

"That is what all this is all about?" She rolled her eyes, "Seriously? You didn't make this much of a commotion when I came in after Thanksgiving wearing my charm bracelet. Or wearing my new earrings after Christmas…"

"Those are nice and all," Bridgett, a junior violinist spoke up, "But you gotta admit a ring, especially one worn on your left ring finger is a big deal."

Sarah couldn't help but smile, "Okay, okay, I know you all know I've been seeing the man in the beach video from just before school started. If you must know, yes, he proposed to me this weekend, last night, if you want to get technical; clearly, I said yes. No, we don't know when we are going to get married."

"You're gonna be hella rich, though, right?" Luke, one of the boys in the trombones spoke up.

"Now where did you come up with that idea?" Sarah arched an eyebrow at the impudent question.

"Isn't your boyfriend some big wig game developer?" Luke asked.

"Dude, he owns Orion Games," Nate, who was sitting next to Luke corrected, "She's dating Chuck Bartowski."

"I heard they had a kid together," A female voice came from the percussion section.

"No, that can't be right," Another girl protested, "They only started dating in September, there's no way they could have had a kid already."

The gossip in the room began to swell once more, causing Sarah to groan and give the 'finish' signal with her hands and baton. "You are all way too invested in my private life! You wouldn't do this to Mrs. Tucker."

"Mr. Tucker isn't a total hottie like your fiancé is," Macy, the first chair clarinet pointed out, "Plus Mrs. Tucker is like, really old."

"Okay, fine," Sarah groaned, "I'm going to give you this run down once, and only once, and never -ever- again, am I understood?" The class nodded, "My fiancé is Chuck Bartowski, the owner of Orion Games. Whether or not I'm going to be 'hella rich,'" She used air quotes, "After the wedding is frankly none of your business. I do have a daughter; she is going to be two in a little over two weeks, Mr. Bartowski is not her biological father, but he treats her as if he was and plans to adopt her. We have not set a date yet as he only has just asked me. Did I miss anything?"

"Are we invited to the wedding?" Shelby, the young woman who played bassoon, inquired

"Surely you must be joking," Sarah smirked.

"She's not joking and don't call her Shirley," One of the percussionists shouted out causing most of the band to chuckle.

Sarah rolled her eyes, "Look, if I invite one of you, I have to invite all of you... and your plus ones and there is no way I'm going to be able to convince anyone, not my fiancé, not his sister, and definitely not my mom, to let me invite upwards of 430 students at least not to the reception. I'm sorry, maybe, and I stress _maybe,_ you can come to the wedding if the venue is big enough. Now, I'm not answering any more of your questions about this, so butt out!" She smirked at them, "Pull out 'Variations in D' we have to get some real work done today before Mrs. Tucker comes after my hide for letting you get away with fooling around all period."

* * *

The second period orchestra was much the same, but Sarah was expecting it and nipped it in the bud addressing the matter up front before even attempting to start the warm-up exercises. This, however, did not prevent her students from hooting and cat calling Chuck when he arrived, a take-out bag from Lou's deli in one hand and a couple bottles of water in the other. He arched an eyebrow at her over the reaction from her students.

"They know," She shrugged in explanation.

"Good, now they know the nerd can get the hottest girl, or guy, in school," He smirked.

"You heard it here, folks, the band nerd is marrying the hottest guy at school," She winked at them, "Maybe not my school, but the prettiest boy from his school, at least."

"Does Alex know?" Chuck joked, "Because I'm pretty sure she pretty much has Morgan locked down."

"You know that's not who I meant," She arched a brow at him.

"Oh, so you're the nerd in this scenario?" Chuck teased.

"You better believe it, Bub," She grinned as her students laughed at their banter. Upon hearing the bell go off, she dismissed her class. Both she and Chuck received congratulations from the students as they made their way out to their next class or their lunch period. Some even stopped and complimented Chuck on the ring he'd picked out. Once the students had all left, she locked the doors to the room and gave her fiancé a kiss. "I see you brought lunch."

"I figured we might be a little hungry after inventorying the storage rooms upstairs." He gave her the patented Bartowski eyebrow dance.

"Then I had better show you where we hide the good stuff." She smiled up at him, taking his arm and leading him up the staircase in the corner of the room.

* * *

"I have to say I'm glad that podium of yours isn't higher… or that a stray subway breeze can't lead to you pulling a Marilyn Monroe in that skirt," Chuck teased as they straightened their clothes in order to go back downstairs to Sarah's office to enjoy their lunch, "But as your fiancé and future husband, I appreciate the easier access."

"That was dirty, Mr. Bartowski," Sarah laughed as they made their way down the stairs.

"Like you didn't choose that outfit with what just happened in mind," Chuck teased, following her into her office.

Sarah blushed, "Shut up and feed me, lover boy."

"As you wish," Chuck pressed a kiss to her cheek and opened the paper bag that he'd left on her desk, pulling out two wrapped sandwiches, handing one to her. "I was going to get soup, too, but after your little comment this morning, I figured I'd better not."

"Good choice," Sarah nodded, unwrapping her sandwich and taking a bite, "Mmm, I love the taste of a Chuck in my mouth."

"Now who's being dirty?" Chuck arched an eyebrow at her.

"You like it," She teased.

"I can't deny that," He grinned at her as they continued to enjoy their sandwiches. They had just finished cleaning up after their meal when the bell rang. "Ooh, nice timing."

"No kidding," Sarah stood and gave him a quick kiss, "You might want to slip out through the theater and out the backstage door."

Chuck nodded and watched as Sarah exited the small room and made her way into the band classroom. Through the poster-covered window, he could see Sarah greeting her students as they entered and took their seats. More than a few had noticed her ring and were pointing it out to their fellow students. He had intended to follow her advice and slip out the back, but in the end, he couldn't help himself. A few moments after the final bell rang, and while the last of the students were assembling their instruments, he headed through the hallway that ran between the office and the rehearsal rooms and into the classroom.

* * *

If the amused looks of her students hadn't gotten her attention, the incessant giggling would have. She slowly turned to see what her students were looking at only to find her fiancé, leaned up against the door frame of the hallway, smiling lovingly at her. She gave him a look as if to ask what he was up to when he pushed off of the door frame and strolled up to her, before she could utter a word, his hands were on her cheeks and his lips were pressed against hers in a chaste but passionate kiss.

This, of course, provoked cat calls and whistles from the underclassmen watching the interaction. When he pulled back, leaving her slightly daze, he gave her a puckish grin, "See you at home, future Mrs. Bartowski." He didn't wait for a response before he sauntered out the door and exited the classroom, leaving his fiancée glued to her spot staring at the closing door.

It took a moment for Sarah to come back to herself. "Ahem," She cleared her throat, "B-flat scale, please," She announced raising her hands to lead the warm-up.

"Did you get engaged over the break, Miss Walker?" Chelsea, one of the cello players asked, raising her bow in the air to catch her teacher's attention.

"He is so gonna get it when I get home," Sarah muttered, not at the least upset with her fiancé's antics before addressing the class, "Yes, Mr. Bartowski asked me to marry him over the weekend, and that's all I'm going to say on the matter. Now, instruments up, B-flat scale." She smiled as her students raised their instruments in the ready position and began to play through their warm-ups.


	26. Chapter 26

"Hey, Sis, thanks for picking Molly up for us," Chuck gave his sister a kiss on the cheek as he entered his sister's condo, Sarah's left hand held firmly in his right. "With the work I had to catch up on and Sarah's rehearsal, we never would have made it to Anne's before six."

"It's really no problem," Ellie assured him, "What are aunties for? The girls are playing in Clara's bedroom, if you want to go peek in on them. Dinner should be ready in a few minutes, just waiting for the garlic bread to bake up a bit more."

"I knew I smelled something delicious," Chuck smiled, "Would you like us to get the girls washed up for dinner while we peek in on them?"

"That would be great," Ellie nodded, "It'll give me time to put a salad together."

"Be back in a bit then," Chuck smiled and, after opening the baby gate, headed upstairs, his fiancée in tow to get the girls.

Devon and Ellie had finished setting the table and were pouring wine and lighting candles when Sarah and Chuck emerged once more, Molly in Sarah's arms, and Clara right beside her uncle. As soon as the ladies were clear of the last step, Chuck quickly secured the baby gate once more and headed to the table. Once everyone was seated, the adults began passing the bowls and serving dishes until everyone had been served.

Sarah was a little surprised that Ellie hadn't noticed her new jewelry at the start of dinner and lasted about halfway through before taking a rather obvious drink of wine, deliberately lifting it with her left hand. The sound of flatware hitting the table made her grin behind the lip of her glass, _it's about time she noticed,_ Sarah thought.

When she put down her glass, she saw Ellie staring at her hand wide eyed, and both of the men trying to cover their amusement by shoveling more pasta into their mouths.

Slowly Ellie's head turned until she was facing her brother, "Chuck, is there something you neglected to mention?" She arched an eyebrow at her younger brother. "Perhaps regarding a recent major purchase?"

"Are we really playing this game, Ellie?" He challenged, a smirk on his face, "I think we both know the answer to that question."

Ellie's eyes narrowed, "Charles Irving Bartowski," She growled.

"Uh oh," Clara gave her uncle a sympathetic look, "Uncle Chuck I think you're in trouble. Mommy only uses middle names when she's _really_ mad."

"It's okay, Clare-Bear, it's not like she's going to kill me," Chuck shrugged only to be met with a sharp glare from his sister, "Then again…."

"Ellie," Sarah interjected, not wanting to have to worry about bloodshed tainting the marinara, "He only just proposed last night after we got home. That's the whole reason we wanted to have dinner together, to tell you. I also wanted to know if you would be my Matron of Honor, and Clara to be a flower girl?"

Clara's eyes lit up at the prospect of getting to wear another pretty dress, "Yes! Mommy, please, please, please say I can!"

"Nice save," Ellie rolled her eyes, her anger subsiding, "I would be honored to be your Matron of Honor, and yes Clara, you can be a flower girl."

"Yay!" The girl cheered, "Can I pick out my princess dress?"

"I don't see why not," Sarah shrugged.

The thrilled look on Clara's face, and the excited squeal she let out, caused the adults to chuckle at her enthusiasm.

Later in the evening, while the girls were back upstairs playing in Clara's room, the adults were sitting back in the living room.

"I am so happy for you two," Ellie grinned, taking a sip of her wine, "I'm a little surprised you didn't ask me along to help find a ring for Sarah."

Chuck blushed, "It was kind of a spur of the moment decision," He shrugged, "Morgan and I were just talking, a few weeks back, and he said some things that made a lot of sense."

"Translation, he told Chuck to get his head out of his ass and propose to me already," Sarah gave her fiancé a smug look, "Then dragged him off to a jewelry store near the Santa Monica Pier."

Ellie's eyes widened, "Are you telling me _Morgan_ knew before I did?" She demanded.

"Well, you see, the way it happened was…" Chuck sighed, "Yes, he was the first to know that I was planning to pop the question, see as he was the one to knock some sense into me."

"Well, I guess that makes sense," Ellie acknowledged, "Then I suppose you spoke with Emma?"

"You talked to my mom?" Sarah gave him a surprised look.

"Yeah," Chuck gave a slight shrug and squeezed Sarah's hand, "I know it's a little old fashioned, and I know you are your own person, able to make your own choices without the influences of the patriarchy… or in the case of our respective families, the matriarchy… but I figured it wouldn't hurt to get her blessing. Please don't be upset."

"I'm not upset," Sarah gave him a soft smile, "I think it was sweet."

"'Sweet?'" Chuck's eyebrows shot up, "Golly gee, thanks for making me feel eight."

"Oh please, you're a ten and you know it," Sarah teased him.

"I'm guessing you had some elaborate proposal plan," Ellie smirked at her brother, "I remember you and Morgan at like 11 or 12 making up some rather elaborate plans for the days you might find someone to settle down with… Although, I do have to say I never expected him to get engaged before you."

"Well that was all timing," Chuck admitted, "Sarah and I had been separated for so long and only just found each other again six months ago. Morgs and Alex have been dating pretty steadily for something like three or four years now. If Sarah and I had been able to keep in contact maybe it would have turned out differently, but there's no point dwelling on what might have happened if things had been different. Hell, who knows, she could have wound up a spy and I could have gotten kicked out of college only to meet again when I got a computer program stuck in my head. Only that would suck because we wouldn't really be able to be together on account of her having to protect me."

Ellie snorted, "Oh please, this is real life, not a comic book," She rolled her eyes.

"True," Chuck nodded, "But in answer to your question, no, there wasn't some elaborate proposal plan. Morgan actually told me to ask me when the timing felt right, so I wound up carrying the ring around with me for a couple weeks. I thought I was going to propose in Napa, but never really got around to it until after we got home."

"I still say you should have done it during your date, Bro," Devon interjected.

"Hold on, you told Devon before me too?" Ellie's eyes narrowed.

"Danger, danger, Will Robinson," Chuck muttered.

"Don't blame him, Babe," Devon tried to smooth things over, "I kinda called him out on it when we were having our guy time up there. Then I saw Sarah's ring when I dropped Clara off this morning."

"Fine," Ellie rolled her eyes, "At least I'm not the last to know."

Chuck and Sarah looked guilty, "Well?"

"Oh my God, are you two serious?!" Ellie huffed.

"Well Manoosh guessed and Morgan basically confirmed it," Chuck gave her a look like _what can you do?_

"And well, this ring isn't exactly inconspicuous," Sarah gave Ellie a smile, "My students noticed and called me on it."

"Would it help if I said we haven't told Dad?" Chuck gave her a hopeful look.

"Dad?" Ellie gave him a sardonic look, "As in the man who ran out on us 15 years ago with no explanation, never to be seen again? That Dad?"

"About that," Chuck rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I kinda found him… or well, he found me. Remember how I told you the Piranha did a little digging to find Molly's biological father?"

Ellie didn't know how to respond to the bomb her brother had just dropped. She didn't know if she should be furious with him, sad, concerned, or any number of reactions a sane person would have at finding out their parent who had abandoned them as a teen or young adult had reached out to one of them after a decade and a half. She stayed silent, staring at her brother in disbelief. Chuck took this as his queue to continue.

"This is going to get worse before it gets better," Chuck sighed, "Okay, here goes. My search into Molly's biological father led me to a series of shell companies which I eventually tracked back to our nation's intelligence services, specifically the CIA."

"Chuck, please tell me you didn't?" Ellie begged, knowing the answer before her brother's name had even crossed her lips.

"I kinda did," Chuck gave her a sheepish look, "I went after the servers in short bursts, each time being able to get in a little further than the time before. They never knew I was there."

"Chuck!" Ellie groaned, "They're the CIA! Of course, they knew you were in their system; they've got to have security on top of security to catch and counteract hackers."

"Even if they had caught on, I routed my signal through so many servers it would take them years, if not decades to track it back to me." Chuck shrugged, "Turns out I didn't even need to do all that, another hacker named Orion protected me and shielded me from their security protocols. I had gotten far enough in that my next hack would have likely produced the information I was looking for. That morning you came over to gank my coffee and found me looking - how did you put it? Oh right - like I'd stuck my finger in an electrical socket, I was stopped from making my final breach. Before I could get started, I was contacted by Orion. He said that he would give me the information I was looking for, but I had to stop my search because he couldn't keep shielding my activity. He gave me a set of set of direction on where to find him and told me that if I came, he would give me the information I was looking for."

"Chuck, are you stupid? That's really dangerous!" Ellie chastised her brother.

"Not really," Chuck shook his head, "Orion is Dad. He doesn't live too far from us, maybe an hour or so, near Hermit Falls. I've been in contact with him off and on ever since, although not in the last month or so, which is why he doesn't know about Sarah's and my engagement. Here's the part you're not going to like."

"You mean it gets worse?!"

"Yeah, Molly's dad is a CIA agent," Chuck started slowly, "He didn't leave to avoid being a father, although escaping that particular responsibility was a benefit for him, at least from his perspective. Not that it surprises me."

"You act as if you know him," Ellie gave her brother a quizzical look.

"I thought I did," Chuck sighed, "Up until he slept with my fiancée and tried to get me kicked out of Stanford. Elle, Bryce Larkin is Molly's biological father."

"You have _got_ to be shitting me!" She cried, "Bryce Fucking Larkin is that poor girl's father?! Is his only goal in life to screw you over… no pun intended."

"He had no idea that I knew Chuck," Sarah shook her head, "And I didn't know he knew Chuck, nor did I know who he worked for. We hadn't been seeing each other for very long and only slept together the one time, but that was enough to give me Molly, if nothing else." She added the last bit under her breath, but Chuck caught it and tried to suppress his snicker. "He left the day after I told him I was pregnant, and I didn't see him again until after my concert back in October."

"I thought you went to Chuck's after the concert," Ellie gave her sister-in-law a questioning look.

"This happened before we went back to my place," Chuck pointed out.

"I'd called Bryce after Chuck got his number from your dad," Sarah sighed, "I was just wanting him to call be back to give me a good mailing address to send the paperwork for him to waive his parental rights. Instead, he thought it would be a good idea to show up in person after three years of no contact and had the audacity to ask to meet Molly."

"He didn't take too kindly to being told 'No,' not that that was much of a surprise," Chuck rolled his eyes."

"Oh no, what happened?" Ellie looked between them worriedly.

"Chuck laid him out," Sarah practically crowed with pride, beaming up at her fiancé.

"I won't repeat what he said," Chuck shook his head, "Let's just say he deserved more than the left hook I gave him."

"My hero," Sarah cooed, causing Chuck to blush. "I think it goes without saying that he wound up leaving without any progress being made on getting him to sign the parental rights waiver. Technically I don't need it, since he was never listed as Molly's father on her birth certificate, but I would prefer to have one on file incase he later tries to challenge any adoption orders. I have an attorney working on it."

"Chuck told me," Ellie nodded, "And considering Bryce's long history of douche-baggery, I don't blame you. Do you think you'll be able to have that taken care of before the wedding?"

"Yeah, probably," Sarah shrugged, "The lawyer has been working on it for a few months now, he warned me that it might take several months to sever Bryce's parental rights if he refuses to respond, which is what is looking like may happen."

Chuck's phone beeped indicating an incoming email message. Pulling out his phone he saw it was an email from Bryce with a rather large attachment, too large to be the legal documents that were the only thing he wanted to see from his former friend. He immediately moved the message to his trash folder and put the phone back into his pocket.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked, seeing Chuck scowl at this phone.

"Nothing, just junk mail," Chuck gave her a reassuring smile before turning back to his sister, "The information on Bryce wasn't the only thing Dad told me. I know why he and Mom left."

"What?" Ellie's eyes widened.

"Yeah, and it's kind of a long story," Chuck sighed and began to relay what his father had told him about their parents involvement with the CIA and some secret project that went a little ca-ca which led to their mother disappearing when they were little and contributing to their father's absence which followed.

Ellie listened to the story in amazement, "So, Mom's a spy and Dad is too?"

"Yes and no," Chuck shrugged, "Mom is a spy, dad was more a contractor, but it is how they met."

"Is nothing in our lives normal?" Ellie groaned.

Chuck gestured around the living room, "I think this is as normal as it gets for us. At least this generation of Bartowskis are relatively normal. You're happily married, I will be soon, we both have happy, healthy daughters who are as close as cousins can get. I'd say we're doing pretty good in the 'normal life' category, I think they only thing that would seal the deal of normalcy would be houses in the 'burbs."

"Your bro's got a point, Babe," Devon agreed, "From what he told us, it sounds like your parents have worked hard to keep you two away from the spy life craziness, you know, outside of leaving you, but even then your pops left a support system to protect you when he wasn't able to."

"I guess," Ellie sighed, "I still would have preferred to have them there while we were growing up."

"Me too, Elle," Chuck nodded, "But there's nothing we can do about it now. Maybe someday Dad can find a way to bring Mom home, but until then we still have each other. The four of us and our present and future children, not to mention Emma and the Very Awesomes, are family enough."

"You're right," Ellie gave him a small smile as both Sarah's and Chuck's phones went off.

The newly engaged couples gave each other a curious look before grabbing their phones and checking the caller ID.

"This is Clavo," Sarah explained, standing and stepping into the kitchen to take the call.

"And I'm pretty sure this is Dad," Chuck showed his sister his screen which showed no number but identified the caller as 'Clu.' Swiping to accept the call, he stepped into the courtyard, "Hello?"

Chuck came back inside to find an ecstatic Sarah on his sister's couch. Letting out a soft sigh, he made his way back to sit next to her.

"Chuck, I just got some great news!" Sarah beamed then noticed his troubled look, "What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you in a sec, I want to hear your news first," Chuck looked at her expectantly. "Well, Clavo just heard back from his contact in DC. Turns out he met a JAG lawyer, I think he said his name was Bud Roberts, who was presenting at some seminar he attended during law school, turns out the guys former commanding officer resigned his commission some years back but is still practicing law in the DC area. Apparently, this Chegwidden guy still has the ear of a lot of the intelligence and military community out there. Long story short, he was able to reach out to the CIA, even going as far as to contact the Deputy Director of Operations trying to track Bryce down. Turns out Bryce went AWOL and is suspected of being rogue, so Chegwidden got the judge to sever Bryce's rights in absentia. You could adopt Molly tomorrow if you wanted free and clear of any drama Bryce may try to throw our way!"

"I would be able to do that anyway," Chuck gave her a sad smile, "My dad just called; Bryce broke into some facility back East and stole some data for an above top-secret project. He was shot an hour ago trying to make his escape. Sarah, I'm sorry, but Bryce is dead."


	27. Chapter 27

Chuck was alone in his office at work when his computer screen suddenly went blank. He did a quick dummy check, but the system was still plugged in, the monitor was still securely connected to the CPU and both were on. A blinking blue curser caught his attention on the lower left-hand side of his screen.

_Are you alone?_ Appeared with the blinking curser at the end of the inquiry.

Chuck furrowed his brow a moment before crossing to his office door and locking it. He then checked that his blinds were also closed before sitting down and typing back, _yes._

_Did Bryce Larson try to contact you prior to his death?_

Chuck almost responded in the negative before the 'junk mail' came to mind. _Yes, he sent me an email. I sent it to my trash bin before reading it since it didn't include the parental waiver we were waiting on from him. I had no interest in anything he had to say beyond that._

_ Charles, he sent you an important piece of intelligence. I need you to send it to me so that I can get it to the proper people before they think you had something to do with Larkin's rogue mission. Can you get the files to me?_

_ Give me a few minutes to track it down and I'll send it off to you._

_ Aces, Charles. _

The screen returned to normal and Chuck opened his email and began searching through his deleted emails until he found the email he'd received. Opening the email, he went to log into the secure server his father had set up for their communications, but in order to transfer the files, he had to open the attachment.

The screen went blank again and green pixelized letters appeared on the screen. _The Terrible Troll raises his sword._

Chuck rolled his eyes, "Like I'm going to fall for that, what does he think I am, galactically stupid?" He huffed, opening another program to open a back door to the files at the coding level. He glanced through the coding before noticing an error in the coding that, if left uncorrected could cause serious errors to develop. An hour, and several patches later, he sent it on to his father.

_The package has been sent, had some bugs, but the Piranha took care of them._ He wrote in the messaging area of the server.

_Charles, please tell me you didn't open the files._

_ Not to worry, Dad, I just fixed a few errors in the coding. The program should run smoother now for the powers that be, and the data has been secured through the normal channels, so it is not so easily taken. I also streamlined it so that it's not so bulky in the output._

_ Aces, Charles, you're Aces!_

Chuck grinned as the screen went back to normal, indicating his father severing the connection once more. He stretched, enjoying the popping release that ran up his spine with the movement. Standing, he opened his blinds and door once more before meandering toward his best friend's office. "Hey Morg, I was thinking about getting some sizzling shrimp for lunch, care to join?"

"Only if you are going to Bamboo Dragon," Morgan quickly saved what he was working on and began closing down files, "Do you mind if Alex joins us?"

"Sure, the more, the merrier," Chuck smiled, "Heck if it wasn't so far away from the school, I'd ask Sarah to join us."

"Join us for what?" Alex asked, entering the office she shared with her fiancé.

"Chuck invited us to join him for a little sizzling shrimp," Morgan explained, "He was just lamenting the fact his lady works to far away from the gastric nirvana that is the Bamboo Dragon to justify inviting her along, too."

"Ah, okay," Alex nodded, "Hey, we got Sarah's and your RSVP the other day, but we still need to get Molly and Clara over to the bridal shop to get their dresses."

"Right," Chuck nodded, "I'll remind Sarah and Ellie to give you a call to hammer out those details."

"Maybe you ladies can take care of it while Chuck and I are getting our tuxes," Morgan suggested.

"Great idea," Alex smiled and gave Morgan a kiss, "Handsome and smart, how'd I get so lucky?"

"Oh, trust me; I'm the lucky one here," Morgan grinned up at her before shifting to look at his best friend, "So, lunch?"

"Lunch," Chuck and Alex agreed and soon the trio were on their way to the Bamboo Dragon to eat enough shrimp to make a seal jealous.

* * *

"Have you given any thought to your wedding?" Ellie inquired as she sipped her coffee. She and Sarah had met up that afternoon for their usual coffee date. It was the one time a week their schedules aligned to allow it between Sarah's teaching and practice at the LA Phil, and Ellie's later shift's meal break.

"A little," Sarah shrugged, "We don't want to wait too long, but we also don't want to step on Morgan and Alex's toes. We want to wait until they're back from their honeymoon before Chuck and I get married. It would probably be best to do it either right after school ends or sometime early in Summer break, so we have time for our honeymoon before I have to go back to teaching."

"Makes sense," Ellie nodded, "Have you two discussed venues?"

"A little, my mom mentioned that the chapel she and Bill got married at isn't too far from here," Sarah smiled, "But we've also discussed getting married on the beach, either here or at Coronado where we first met. There's also the option of going back to Napa, the bed and breakfast we stayed at hosts weddings in their gazebo."

"If you get married out of town, your students can't come," Ellie pointed out, "Didn't you say that some of them were asking about that?"

"True, but we don't want the guest list getting way out of hand, either," Sarah sighed. "I did tell them that even if they were invited to the wedding, we might not be able to invite them to the reception."

"Why not?" Ellie challenged, "Chuck can afford it. He lives in that tiny condo when we both know he could afford to buy a decent sized house outright."

"And if we still want to be able to afford a house, we can't go crazy on the wedding expenses." Sarah arched an eyebrow at her future sister-in-law. "Honestly, if it were up to me, I'd be okay eloping. Finding a small chapel somewhere, just Chuck and me, you and Devon, the girls, my mom, and Morgan and Alex. Just an intimate little ceremony, then maybe after we get back from our honeymoon have a party to celebrate that would be open to our coworkers and my students."

Ellie mulled the idea over for a few minutes before nodding, "That's actually not a bad idea," She agreed, "Heck, you could get married at the beginning of April, take your honeymoon over spring break, and have your party the weekend after school is back in session."

"Don't you think that's a little soon?" Sarah hedged, "I mean, that's a month and a half away."

"Easily, just get a dress for you, a suit for Chuck, I can find nice dresses for the girls," Ellie suggested, "And you wouldn't need to worry about the party, I could take care of that, and I bet your mom and Morgan would offer to pitch in to help with the cooking, too."

"I'm really starting to like this idea," Sarah smiled as her phone's alarm started beeping, signaling it was time for her to head to rehearsal. "Oops, got to go."

Ellie stopped Sarah as the younger woman reached to withdraw her wallet from her purse, "I got it, it's my turn to buy anyhow. You just get going."

"Okay," Sarah nodded, "Love you."

"Love you too," Ellie smiled as she stood and wrapped her brother's fiancée in a hug.

* * *

As luck would have it, Chuck loved the idea when Sarah presented it to him as they were getting ready for bed that night after putting Molly to bed. He immediately pulled out his cellphone and began looking into how they could make it happen. "Hey Babe, what do you think of this?" He asked tilting the screen so Sarah could see.

"Perfect," She grinned reaching up to press a kiss to his lips. "Send me their information and I'll call them in the morning."

Chuck tapped his screen a couple times, "Done." His statement confirmed by the soft ding from Sarah's cell phone indicating a message had been received. "Now that we have that sorted, what else is there to do?"

"Hmm," Sarah hummed thoughtfully moving over to straddle his legs where he sat against the headboard of their bed, "There's a suit for you," She pressed a kiss along his jaw line, "A dress for me," She kissed his neck, "Maybe some flowers," She kissed his Adam's apple, "But all of that can be dealt with later. Right now, there's something, or should I say _someone_ else I'd like to do right now."

"Future Mrs. Bartowski, are you trying to seduce me?" Chuck teased, sliding his hands up her thighs and pulling he close into him.

"Not trying," She gave him a coy grin as she lifted his shirt over his head, trailing hear hands down his chest and abs to where she now sat in his lap. She rose up on her knees and slid his pajama pants down before catching his eyes as she slowly removed her night gown revealing the nothing she had on underneath.

"God, you're so beautiful," Chuck gasped, taking in the full view of the woman before him.

"This is an interactive game, Mr. Bartowski," Sarah smiled as she leaned forward to press a sensual kiss to lips, and while he happily returned the kiss, his hands lay at his sides, "Chuck, touch me." She sighed against his lips.

Chuck needed no further invitation, flipping them over, causing Sarah to squeal in delight as her back hit the mattress, causing her to bounce a couple times at the impact as he dove in, nibbling, tasting, and suckling his way down her body while his hands began their slow exploration.

* * *

Sarah, Ellie, Emma, and Alex had agreed to meet up at the bridal shop. Their trip was two, or rather three-fold, they needed to find a wedding dress for Sarah, and dresses for Clara and Molly for not one, but two weddings that would be happening within the next few months. Anticipating it would take Sarah more than a few dresses to find her dress, as it had for both Ellie and Alex, Sarah and Ellie left the girls with their fathers who would be dropping them off later. Sarah had done some research and the bridal shop they were going to carried most of the styles of dresses she was considering.

"Good morning," A slim woman with light brown hair approached them, "How can I help… Sarah?"

Sarah's eyes widened, "Zondra?! What are you doing here? I haven't seen you since graduation."

"I'm originally from LA, moved home after graduation," Zondra shrugged, "I heard you were with the Phil now, featured soloist and everything, impressive."

"Thanks," Sarah smiled.

"So, what can I do for you ladies?" Zondra addressed the group.

"Believe it or not, I'm getting married," Sarah chuckled.

"Wow, color me surprised," Zondra's eyebrows arched, "Who's the lucky guy?"

"Charlie," Sarah grinned, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Not _the_ Charlie," Zondra gasped.

"One in the same, he lives here now. We reunited at the end of last summer." Sarah relayed.

"He certainly works fast," Zondra teased, "But I guess when you know, you know. Why don't you come with me and lets see what we can find for you?"

As Zondra led the women over to an alcove consisting of a small couch facing a raised dais to the side of which was a curtain leading to a small changing room. She gestured for the women to take a seat as she sat on a nearby ottoman. "Before we get started, why don't you introduce us?"

"Okay, well this is my mom, Emma," Sarah gestured to her mother who was sitting beside her at the left end of the couch, "My fiancé's sister, Ellie," She smiled at the older woman, "And Alex at the end, she is my fiancé's best friend's fiancée. Ladies, this is Zondra, we were in the string quartet at Columbia together, but she graduated a couple years before I did."

Once the women finished greeting each other, Zondra got back to business, she asked what kind of wedding Sarah was planning, what kind of look she was wanting, and when the wedding was to be. A flash of surprise crossed her face upon hearing that the wedding was in a month and a half.

"That's the other reason we came here, you also carry bridesmaid and flower girl dresses," Sarah explained. "Ellie is going to be my matron of honor and our daughters will be here later so we can find them flower girl dresses not only for my wedding but for Alex's as well."

"You have a daughter?" Zondra's eyes widened, "Charlie really does work fast."

"I had Molly when I was still at Columbia," Sarah explained, "Her biological father didn't want to be part of her life, and we found out not too long ago that he recently passed away, but Chuck – that's what we call him now – is adopting her."

"Sounds like you got yourself a good one, Walker," Zondra grinned, "Why don't we see about finding your dress?"

"Yes, please," Sarah grinned.

"Great, you ladies stay here, I'm going to go pull some dresses from the racks and I'll be right back," Zondra rose and exited the alcove. About fifteen minutes later, she returned, the hooks of several hangers dangling from her fingertips while the gowns were draped over her shoulder and down her back to prevent her from tripping on them.

By the time Sarah had tried on the fourth dress, she knew she'd found the one, and her family agreed, but just to be sure, she tried on the other dresses before finally deciding on the fourth dress she'd tried on. They found a dress in a beautiful shade of pale lavender and in a similar style to Sarah's dress for Ellie and were soon perusing the racks of girl's dresses when Devon arrived, Clara's left hand in his and carrying Molly in his left arm.

"Hey, ladies," He gave them his standard wide smile, "Just dropping off the chickadees, Chuck figured it was best that he stay in the car. Bad luck to see the bride in her wedding dress before he big day and all. We had lunch and Molly had her nap, so with any luck, you won't have to deal with toddler melt down."

"Thanks Dev," Ellie smiled, collecting her daughter as Sarah took Molly into her arms.

"No problem, we had an awesome Daddy-daughter morning with Chuck at the pier." Devon informed them. "Now that I've dropped little babe and miss Molly off with you, Chuck and I are off to get our suits."

"Great, we'll see you at home," Sarah smiled up at her brother-in-law-to-be.

Devon gave them another smile before turning and leaving. After introducing the girls, they went back to searching for dresses for the youngest members of the wedding parties. Thankfully, it didn't take more than an hour to decide on the dresses for the girls, saving them all from the girls getting too restless. After paying for their dresses they all headed home for the night.

* * *

Once the girls had been dropped off, Chuck and Devon had made their way over to a local tailor to find their suits. They quickly settled on grey suits that flattered their tall frames, the only difference being that Chuck had purchased a light blue shirt and Devon's would match the pale lavender color of his wife's dress. They paid for their suits and were given the pick-up date for their suits since both needed some alteration to fit them correctly.

On their way home, Chuck insisted on stopping by the jewelry store to pick up a gift to present to his bride on their wedding day.

Both men got a good chuckle when they realized that even after their side trip, they still beat the women home. Not wanting to make the women cook after their long day, and not really feeling up to it themselves, they ordered pizza and settled down in Devon and Ellie's apartment with a couple beers and the Dodger game.


	28. Chapter 28

Chuck had gotten out of work later than he wanted, a minor glitch had come up regarding the distribution of their latest educational game and he and Morgan had needed to stay and deal with the distributers. Alex had already told them that she would get Morgan's luggage loaded up in the car and would meet them at Chuck's once they were finished. Chuck had called and let Sarah know he was going to be late and was assured that she already had their bags packed and that Ellie would be home soon with the girls, so they were good for the time being.

As soon as they'd wrapped up the video conference, Chuck and Morgan jumped in Chuck's car and headed back to Echo park. Arriving they'd found Devon and Ellie loading up the minivan while Emma and Alex played with the girls. Morgan split off to join them while Chuck continued on to his condo.

"Sorry we're late," Chuck apologized, coming through the door.

"It's okay," Sarah assured him, greeting him with a kiss, "You're only behind an hour or so, and we don't have to do anything but get there tonight. Go up and change, I already have our bags in the car. Ellie has the suits and dresses in the van since there was room enough in there to lay them flat."

"Alright," Chuck nodded and bounded up the stairs. He returned a few minutes later wearing a comfortable pair of jeans, and an olive green button-down he'd rolled up to his forearms. Joining the rest of the family in the courtyard, it appeared that Alex had also brought Morgan a change of clothes as the shorter man had exchanged his business suit for a pair of jeans and a zip-up hoodie over a t-shirt. The gang soon was loading up in their respective vehicles to caravan down to San Diego.

The two-hour drive down was thankfully uneventful being that they were leaving the city just as rush hour was starting meaning they were able to clear LA before the I-5, I-405, and I-10 became veritable parking lots. They arrived at the Hotel Coronado just after 6pm and after checking into their rooms and dropping off their luggage, they met back down in the lobby to get some dinner and enjoy watching the sunset on the beach.

"Mama, why did we have to come all the way to Diego?" Clara had inquired of her mother as they enjoyed their pizza.

"Why don't you ask Uncle Chuck and Aunti Sarah?" Ellie gave her daughter a warm smile before turning to her brother and sister-in-law with an expectant look.

"Remember how we told you that Aunti Sarah and I knew each other a long time ago?" Chuck prompted the little girl who nodded her head, "Well this beach is where we had our second first meeting. We went to different high schools, and we met when our bands were both playing at Sarah's high school."

"I lived in San Diego when I was about 15," Sarah added, "My high school is only a few miles from here. I saw your Uncle Chuck at my school just after his band had played because he forgot his music and had to go back for it. I thought he was cute."

"I saw here then too, waiting to come on stage to play," Chuck continued, "I thought she was beautiful, but didn't get a chance to talk to her after that. ComiCon was happening that same weekend so your Uncle Morgan and I wanted to check it out. I didn't have a lot of money so after looking around for a little bit, I thought I'd go check out the beach. As I walked down the beach, I heard someone playing the violin nearby and I stopped to listen. She was amazing, and when she turned around, I saw the beautiful girl from the day before."

"I noticed he was carrying a guitar case and offered to let him pay with me," Sarah smiled at her fiancé, "Despite never playing together before, he caught on pretty quickly, and we sounded really good together. After we were done playing, he invited me to take a walk with him and after a while we wound up sitting on the beach and talking."

"I knew even then she was something special," Chuck gave Sara a loving look, "We spent the rest of the weekend together when we weren't performing and even would talk on the phone after I went back home."

"A few months later, my dad got into a lot of trouble and I had to go live with your Granny," Sarah continued, "I lost Chuck's number when I moved and it happened so fast, I didn't get a chance to warn him it was happening."

"I was really sad for a while after that," Chuck nodded.

"Me too," Sarah reached over to squeeze his hand. "I'm just glad that I was able to find a job in California and move home." She turned back to Molly, "And you know the rest from there, I ran into your uncle on the beach just before school started."

"But why Diego?" Clara repeated.

"We wanted to get married on the beach where we met," Sarah explained.

"Oh, speaking of," Chuck turned to his best friend, "Did you remember to bring it?"

"Yep," Morgan grinned, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his wallet. Opening it he withdrew a folded piece of paper, "One proof of officiant credentials obtained online, I'm all set to get you married. I kinda wish I'd thought of this for my own wedding."

"No," Alex shook her head, "Much as I love Chuck, there's no way the Major would allow him to perform our wedding ceremony."

"Besides, buddy, my public speaking abilities are limited to toasting my best friend and his future wife and the vows I plan to recite to by bride tomorrow." Chuck gave his friend a smile, "I'm all good."

"To each their own," Morgan shrugged and took a sip of his beer.

The sun had started to set just as they finished their meal so they all made their way onto the sandy shore to watch as the sky turned a beautiful pink then purple before fading into a deep navy blue as the last remnants of yellow and orange dipped beyond the horizon line. Molly was just about to drop, so Chuck swept her up in his arms and carried her as they made their way back to the hotel. About halfway there, Clara started to drag, prompting her own father to carry her the rest of the way to their room. After a round of hugs and kisses, they broke to head to their separate rooms. Sarah was glad they'd had the foresight to set up the pack-n-play before heading to dinner as she took Molly into the bedroom of their suite to change her and put her to bed before joining Chuck on the couch in the living room.

They relaxed on the couch as Chuck flipped through the channels looking for something to watch before settling on a program the followed a team of FBI profilers. "I bet you'd be really good at that," Chuck looked down at Sarah, who was resting on his shoulder, "The profiling and getting the bad guys."

"You would be too, you'd match Penelope keystroke for keystroke, and without a doubt be a match for Spencer's analytical skills. But I wouldn't want to do anything like that, for either of us." Sarah shook her head, "If either of us had a job like that, I'd never feel safe, we wouldn't have Molly… we probably never would have found each other again. I'm happy with our life as it is; normal, safe, maybe a white house with a red door and picket fence, baby someday. This right here, relaxing on the couch Molly sleeping in the next room, this is all I need."

"I love you," Chuck spoke earnestly, his eyes meeting hers as he brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, smiling slightly at the small shiver it elicited.

"I love you too," She smiled softly up at him as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips that was swiftly growing more passionate before she pulled back slightly, "Mmm, as much as I would love to take this through to it's inevitable conclusion, we have to be up early to get ready. We probably should go to bed." She rolled her eyes at the cheeky grin on Chucks face, "To sleep, Chuck."

"I knew that," Chuck scoffed then yawned as he stood and assisted her to her feet, "And I'm not fighting the suggestion. How does it feel to know that in 16 hours you'll officially be Sarah Bartowski?"

"Great, I wish it was 16 minutes from now, 16 seconds," Sarah sighed, "In a lot of ways it feels like it already is my name."

"I feel the same way," Chuck smiled down at her, "We will rectify this oversight very soon."

"16 hours," Sarah smiled up at him as they slipped into the room.

"16 hours," He confirmed.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and clear and was promptly followed by a rapid knocking on the door. Sarah groaned and turned over in the bed as Chuck climbed out and shuffled to the door of the suite.

"Good morning, little brother," Ellie beamed up at him, "Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, and half the hall as well, I'm sure," Chuck grumbled, stepping back to let his sister in.

"Where's your bride? We have a lot to do," Ellie cast her eyes around the room until they rested on the door to the bedroom where Sarah stood, bleary eyed, a waking Molly in her arms.

"I'm right here, Elle," Sarah gave her a sleepy smile.

"Go get dressed, you can shower in my room," Ellie ordered, smiling when her sister-in-law rolled her eyes and ducked back into the bedroom.

Sarah emerged a few minutes later, wearing low-top red chucks, jeans and a button-down shirt. Molly had also been changed, and was now wearing leggings and a long-sleeved t-shirt, a small pair of red chucks on her feet.

The footwear did not escape Ellie's notice, "I see you've brainwashed them into thinking converse al-stars are required footwear in this family," She snarked at her brother who shrugged and handed Molly's diaper bag to Sarah.

"I'll see you down there," Sarah smiled at him, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"I'll be waiting," He smiled down at her and opened the door to let the ladies leave before shuffling of to bed to get a little more sleep, only be interrupted by another knock. Opening the door revealed Devon and Morgan, "Hey guys, come to keep me company?"

"Pretty much," Devon shrugged, "Figured we'd take you out for breakfast, maybe find a place to shoot some pool before we have to get dressed."

"I suggested a marathon Call of Duty session but seeing as Alex conveniently 'forgot' my console at home, my idea is out." Morgan rolled his eyes.

"Probably for the best, little buddy, you wouldn't be able to connect to the internet here, anyhow," Chuck gave him a small smile. "Make yourselves comfortable, I'm just gonna hop in the shower and get dressed real quick."

Devon and Morgan nodded their agreement and settled onto the couch. Devon turned on the TV and after a little channel surfing, settled on a local news program since there wasn't much else on that time of day.

True to his word, Chuck returned 15 minutes later, his damp curls making funny shapes despite his attempts to tame them in the bathroom. Seeing his return, Devon turned off the channel and the men made their way down to a local diner for breakfast.

* * *

The women had enjoyed their morning of pampering, starting with breakfast in the hotel's dining room before heading to the on-site spa for mani-pedis. Clara was thrilled to find that they even had a little girl sized pedicure station in the spa and took great joy in picking out the sparkly purple polish that now adorned her fingers and toes. Since her treatment didn't take as long as the grownups who were getting a special nail polish that used a black light to set, the manicurist even let her hold Molly while her little fingers were painted the same color as her older cousin's.

The next stop was an early lunch then on to the salon where their hair was done. While Sarah, Ellie, and Alex had their hair done, Clara played with Molly in the corner where a small kids area had been set up by the owners. Eventually Alex came over to play with Molly while Clara got her hair done as well, getting her dirty blonde hair pulled up in a half-updo with the lower half curled in ringlets down her back.

When the ladies got back to the hotel, they gathered in Ellie and Devon's suite where all the dresses were, Alex and Ellie got dressed first before helping Clara and Molly to get ready, including fastening small white and purple floral wreathes to the girls' heads. Finally, it was Sarah's turn, Ellie suggested they have Sarah step into the dress so as to not muss her hairdo. Sarah stood in front of the full-length mirror in her white foundation wear and garter, practically shaking from the excited butterflies that fluttered low in her belly as Ellie and Alex shimmied her dress up her legs and body before Ellie made quick work of the buttons on the dress. A knock came at the door a moment later and Clara went to answer.

"Who is it?" She called.

"It's Granny, darling," Emma called back, smiling as Clara opened the door for her. "Well don't you just look precious!" She cooed, bending down to kiss Clara's cheek.

"I got my fingers and toes painted like mom, Aunti Sarah, and Aunti Alex," Clara beamed, holding out her hand so that her granny could see the sparkly color.

"I love it!" The older woman smiled, "Where's your Aunt Sarah?"

"In Mom's room," Clara pointed to the open door.

"I'll be right back," Emma promised and made her way into the bedroom. Her breath caught in her chest at the sight of her daughter, "Oh Sarah, sweetheart, you look absolutely lovely!"

"Thanks, Mom," Sarah blushed, running her hands over the skirt of her dress as she made her way across the room to accept the older woman's hug and kiss.

"I have something for you," Emma smiled, pull a small cloth wrapped item from her purse, "I know you didn't want to wear a veil, but this was your grandmother's, from her wedding day." She unwrapped the cloth to reveal a silver hair comb decorated with a floral design accented with pearls. "I figured you could use it as your 'something old' and as for your borrowed," She pulled out a thin black velvet box with a clamshell hinge. She opened it and withdrew a strand of pearls, "My parents gave me this the day I married your father, I hope it brings you more luck than it did me. You're already marring a better man than your father ever was, so you already have a leg up on me."

Sarah's eyes watered, "Thank you," She whispered then gestured toward her hair and neck, "Would you mind?"

"I would love to," Emma smiled, stepping behind her daughter and securing the pearls around her neck first before sliding the comb into her daughter's hair just above the intricate updo that had been pinned and hair sprayed into place by the hairstylist.

* * *

A short time later Devon opened the main door to the suite and ducked his head in, hand covering his eyes, "Everybody decent?" He called.

"Yes, Daddy," He could practically hear his daughter's eye roll.

Opening his eyes, he took in the three generations of women in their dresses, "You ladies all look awesome!" He enthused. "It's time to get going, Morgan and Chuck are already down there."

Since the adults wanted to make good time getting out of the hotel and out to the beach where the wedding was going to be held, Alex scooped up Molly and carried her, while Devon did the same for Clara. They deliberately had Sarah and Emma taking up the rear so that Chuck wouldn't accidentally see her too soon. Luckily Morgan saw Devon and told Chuck to turn around. He made Chuck wait until Ellie and Devon took their places, Devon beside Chuck and Ellie beside where Sarah would eventually be, Alex was a few steps away, Molly on her hip and Clara standing beside her. Finally, with a grin he told Chuck to turn around.

The sight that met Chucks eyes was one of the most beautiful things he'd seen in his entire life to that point. Sarah was on her mother's arm, free hand holding a small white, blue, and purple bouquet made up of hydrangeas, carnations, hyacinths, and chrysanthemums. Her dress had a lace bodice with pearl accents a pale blue sash around the waist, and a long, flowing tulle skirt that rippled in the breeze. As did the entire wedding party, she'd kicked off her sandals in the small tent that had been reserved for their group to stash their personal items during the ceremony. He couldn't help the broad smile that graced his face when he saw her, nor did he attempt to stop the tears of joy that glimmered in his eyes and flowed down his cheeks.

Sarah's breath was nearly taken away at how good Chuck looked in his grey suit and pale blue shirt, barefoot in the sand, joy and love radiating from his face as he watched her approach. The smile on her face and tears misting in her eyes were a near mirror image of her groom's. When they finally arrived at their destination, Emma kissed Sarah's cheek and Chuck's before stepping aside as Sarah handed her bouquet to Ellie and turned to join hands with Chuck.

Morgan gave the couple a warm smile before he began, "Dearly beloved, we have gathered her today to join Charles Irving Bartowski and Sarah Lisa Walker in the sacred bonds of matrimony. Their journey here was long, from the moment the met on this beach to the day they returned to each other on the shores of Santa Monica, yet they never stopped loving one another. Some of us were blessed enough to witness the love they shared in their early days, and all of us bore witness to the love that has bloomed ten-fold between them in the months since they reunited. Now we are honored to share this day with them as they pledged their lives to one another, starting with their vows. Sarah?"

Sarah gave the bearded man a soft smile before turning to meet Chuck's eyes. "Chuck, the day I met you nearly a decade ago, you changed my life. I'd had a hard life and more hard days to come, but your overwhelming peace and joy despite the difficult times you and your sister had to go through, gave me hope for my own future. I can't completely say I regret the years that passed between then and the day I found you again, because we wouldn't have had Molly. You are an amazing man, the love you give freely to those around you is inspiring. You saw past an awkward teenager to see the heart she had long since buried behind years of emotional scars and struggle and taught her how to love and be loved. You accepted my daughter into your life without question and took her into your heart as your daughter, loving her as you would if she had been your flesh and blood. You are a gift, one I thought I'd lost forever until the day you found me again. I love you and can't wait to see what our future holds. I pledge my heart to you, now into tomorrow and all the tomorrows after that."

"That was beautiful," Morgan wiped a tear from his eye and turned to his best friend, "Chuck?"

"Sarah, nearly 10 years ago, I saw an angel in the wings of a theatre only find her bringing joy on a beach to complete strangers the next day. I knew you were 'it' for me from that very first moment, and not a day goes by that I don't wish we could get back the time we lost, but in the same breath I am thankful for it. Our time apart allowed us to pursue and achieve our dreams, bring us Molly, and eventually we were led back to find each other on a beach once more. Call it fate, call it divine providence, or just dumb luck, but what we have right here, right now, this is real, this is true. I love you with every depth of my being and can't wait to see what the future has in store for us. I promise you that I will be with you, beside you, through joy and sorrow, for the rest of our lives." Chuck gave her hands a light squeeze, "I want to be the best father I can be for Molly and any other little ones we might have along the way. You are and always have been my 'it' girl, my end game, the other half of my soul and I will spend every last breath in my body proving my love for you and our family."

"Devon, do you have the rings?" Morgan asked, turning to the tall doctor who handed the rings to him. "These rings may be light, but they carry with them the weight of the promises you shared with each other today. Wear them with the pride, joy, and integrity that has been the center of your relationship since that first day and will be until time eternal." He handed the larger of the rings to Sarah and instructed her to place the ring on Chuck's left ring finger, "Sarah, do you take this man into your heart as your lawfully wedded husband; through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, for so long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Sarah smiled up at her husband, sliding the ring over his long finger until it nestled itself against the base of the digit before giving his hand a light squeeze.

Morgan then handed the smaller ring to Chuck, "Charles, do you take this woman into your heart; through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, for so long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Chuck confirmed, voice low and matching the intensity and love that shown in his eyes as he slid her engagement ring off her finger and placing the wedding ring to go on first, slid them both into place on her left hand before lifting her hand to press a soft kiss to the knuckle against which her rings now sat.

"Before we finish there is one more thing," Morgan smiled at the newly weds and nodded toward an older Latino man in a dark pinstriped suit who approached with a leather folio in his hands, a younger, familiar looking Latino man beside him. "Since the whole point of this day is to unify, we might as well make this compete. To that end, I invited the honorable judged Juan Diego Arnoldo, and of course Clavo to join us."

"Good afternoon," The older man smiled at the couple. He had a slight accent and dark hair that was starting to go grey, "And congratulations on your happy day." He looked beyond the couple to where Alex stood with the girls, "Would you mind bringing Molly over?"

Alex nodded and approached, handing Molly over to Chuck before returning to her spot next to Clara.

"It is my understanding you wish to adopt young Molly?" Judge Arnaldo inquired and smiled as Chuck nodded his affirmation, "Wonderful! Charles Irving Bartowski, do you take Molly into your heart and your home as your daughter, to love and raise her as her father and protector?"

"I do," Chuck nodded solemnly.

Judge Arnoldo smiled warmly up at the tall young man, "Then, by the power vested in my by the county of Los Angeles and the State of California, it is my honor and privilege to approve your petition of adoption."

"Thank you," Chuck smiled and shook the judge's hand then Clavo's before Sarah hugged each man and thanked them as well.

Judge smiled and stepped aside, conceding the floor to Morgan once more. Morgan nodded his thanks before turning back to the family gathered before him. "Let's make this officially official, then," He smiled at his best friend and his best friend's wife, "By the power vested in me by the state of California and the International Federation of Planets, I am proud to proclaim you man and wife, you may kiss our bride."

Their family and friends cheered and clapped as Chuck buried his free hand into the hair at the nape of his wife's neck an angled her head to press a warm kiss to her lips. He then pulled her into a group hug consisting of the newlywed couple and their daughter who was still being held by her newly declared father."

Morgan gave them a moment before raising his voice once more, "May I present for the first time in public Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bartowski and their daughter Amalia Lisa Bartowski!" Cheers and applause erupted from their friends and family again as they converged on the trio smothering them with hugs and kisses.

Once the happy family was properly congratulated and loved on, Chuck turned back to Clavo and the judge, "We're going to have dinner at the Bluewater Grill. Clavo, Judge Arnoldo, you are welcome to join us."

"I would love to accept your invitation, but you must call me Juan," The older man smiled at them warmly.

"Done, and thank you, Juan," Chuck grinned, "Clavo?"

"Of course," Clavo nodded before adding with a cheeky smile, "Just don't tell Papa Tio, he loves this place and would be jealous."

"My lips are sealed," Chuck promised and gave the lawyer a fist-bump.

* * *

Dinner had been an enjoyable time with friends and family, and now Chuck and Sarah were heading back to their room. Earlier that day, Chuck had dropped Molly's pack'n'play off at Emma's room where she would be staying for the night so that the newlyweds could enjoy their first night as a married couple uninterrupted. They strolled hand-in-hand to their suite, Chuck smiled at Sarah as he withdrew his room key from his pocket and slid it into the lock. Hearing the click, he pushed the door open and lifted his bride into his arms, causing her to squeal in surprise.

"What are you doing?" Sarah giggled.

"Carrying my bride across the threshold," Chuck stated, pressing a kiss just under her jaw as he walked through the living room and into their bedroom. "Something I intend to repeat for every new threshold we cross into a place that is our home, however temporarily."

Sarah smiled at him as he lowered her to the ground and pulled her into his arms for a passionate kiss. "Hello, Mrs. Bartowski," He murmured against her lips before tracing kisses along her jaw and throat.

"Mr. Bartowski," Sarah sighed, "Are you trying to seduce me?"

"Is it working?" Chuck met her eyes and gave her the Bartowski eyebrow dance that was guaranteed to make her weak at the knees.

"Help me out of this dress and I'll let you know," Sarah grinned up at him as she slid his suit jacket off his broad shoulders.

"As you wish," Chuck husked, running his fingers up her sides and back until he found the buttons that ran along her spine. He spun her around until her back was to him. He slowly released each button as he nipped and suckled at the juncture of her neck and shoulders, reveling at the sighs and moans each caress of his fingers, lips, tongue, teeth against her skin drew from his wife's lips. Although it wasn't intentional, he had noticed that they were turned to face the full-length mirror that hung on the wall. Meeting her eye in the reflection of the looking glass, he slowly ran his hands up the soft skin of her back and pushed the dress from her shoulders before helping her step out of the pool of fabric encircling her ankles.

He watched with great excitement the colors swirling in his wife's eyes as he began to pepper kisses along her neck and shoulders while his fingers caressed her skin. First from her wrists, where the sleeves of her dress had finally released their hold on her body, up her arms to her shoulders. He skimmed his hands along her collarbone to the notch where her clavicle met her breastbone before sliding them back, allowing his fingers to take the straps of her lacy bra with them until they fell off her shoulders. He traced his way down her back to the closure of the garment as he pressed kiss right below her left ear, smiling at the shiver that passed through her body as he released each hook and let it fall away. If it hadn't been already clear to him by her verbal reactions, he now had visual confirmation of her arousal as he glided his hands around her ribcage to caress her breasts, running the pads of his thumbs over her erect nipples.

Sarah groaned and leaned into him, finding that watching him in the mirror as he let his hands perform their systematic study of her, turned her on more than she ever had been before. Every caress of his thumb over her sensitive peaks sending heat straight to her core, pooling in anticipation of his touch. She closed her eyes to enjoy the sensations he was creating by his ministrations when she heard his voice rumble in her ear.

"Open your eyes, Baby," He husked, "I need to see your beautiful eyes."


	29. Chapter 29

_**** Warning, there be married smut here, if that's not your thing, just skip on to the next chapter ****_

* * *

"Open your eyes, Baby," He husked, "I need to see your beautiful eyes."

Sarah's eyes fluttered open at his command, "Good girl," He hummed, kissing along the right side of her throat as he began take his ministrations further down her body, until he reached the matching pair of panties that served as the last barrier from him seeing all of his wife bare before him. He allowed his hands to trace along her waistband before one brave digit and then another made its way underneath the small scrap of fabric. He could feel the heat radiating from her core as his fingers made their slow decent, enjoying the feel of her curls as they tangled around his fingertips. After a short, yet infinite, time he finally found his goal. "My God, Baby, you're so wet," He practically whimpered. The sound was soon echoed by his bride as he slowly dipped one finger, then two between her folds. He stroked her a few times before withdrawing his fingers and meeting her eyes again as he licked them clean, noticing how blown her irises were. "That is, hands down, my favorite flavor," He hummed in her ear before dropping his hands to her waist and spinning her around to face him.

Feeling her hands reaching for him he gently took her wrists and held them to her side, clicking his tongue at her a few times, "Uh-uh, you'll get your chance in a little bit, it's still my turn," He grinned down at her and he lifted her into his arms, her legs wrapping around her waist as he carried her to their bed, making sure to taste every inch of her mouth with his searing kiss. As soon as he felt his thighs hit the bed, he threw back the covers and set his bride down on the edge of the mattress, bending at the waist to lay her down on her back. He then began to trail kisses along her jaw, down her neck to her chest, taking his time to taste each of her breasts thoroughly as if testing to see which had the better flavor. As his trail of kisses drifted lower, he let his hands trail up her long legs until they reached her hips once more. Hooking his fingers into the fabric at her waist he encouraged her to lift her hips just enough to remove the last scrap of lace from her body. He gently lifted her legs to rest over his shoulders as he kissed the inside of her thighs teasing his way closer to her center.

He nearly moaned at the scent of her arousal as he finally gave in to her silent, and not-so-silent pleas and tasted her, drinking her in. It didn't take much to push her over the edge as he slid one finger, then two, deep inside her with steady even motion. A few flicks of his tongue against her clit had her jerking against him, her walls contracting, pulling his fingers deeper within her as she cried out her pleasure and stilled. He eased her down from the precipice with gentle thrusts of his fingers drawing the last of her release out of her before finally withdrawing and licking them clean.

He slowly kissed his way back up her body, moving with her as she adjusted herself on the bed until her head rested on her pillows and her full body rested on the mattress. She turned an evaluating gaze at her husband taking in the dress shirt and slacks he still wore. "You are wearing entirely too many clothes," She gave him a sultry look, "You really should do something about that."

"As you wish," Chuck smiled, pressing a soft kiss to her lips and retreating from the bed. He shot her a cheeky grin as he fished his phone out of his pocket, taped the screen a few times and sat it down on the bedside table as a sultry bluesy tune began to play.

Sarah sat up in bed as she watched Chuck unbutton his shirt one closure at a time as he moved to the music. Once his shirt was undone, he slipped it from his shoulders and tossed it over a nearby chair before unbuckling it belt and slipping it out of the loops at his waist. He met her eyes and shimmied his way over to her, "A little help, please," He husked, nodding toward the hook and eye closure at the waist of his pants, smiling as she got his hint and quickly released the hook closure of his slacks before sliding the zipper down enough for his pants to fall to his ankles.

He could feel her cool hands roam over his chest and back as she pulled him down for a kiss. As the kiss drew deeper, her hands slowly traced their way down to the waistband of his boxers, playing with it as he toed off his shoes and freed himself of the fabric entangling his legs. When he pulled back momentarily to pull off his socks, he couldn't resist the small chuckle that her pout drew from him as her hands slipped from his waist and she shifted her position to kneel on the bed. Soon he had her back in his arms, tasting her sweet lips as he felt her hands begin their slow descent south once more. This time, one bold hand slipped beneath the waist band to encircle him, the coolness of her hand on his heated skin causing him to hiss at the contact.

"Cold hands," He explained at his wife's inquiring look.

"Well let's see if I can't warm them up," She gave him a sultry look as she began to stroke him with one hand as the other pushed his boxers down until they hit the ground, revealing all of him to her. She licked her lips as she let her gaze linger over the length of him, in all senses of the word, "Now that you are properly unattired, come here," She laid down on the bed, pulling him down beside her, "My turn." She gave him a wicked grin before kissing her way down his body.

It was abundantly clear that she intended to return the favor he had lavished on her just moments before. "Baby, as good as that feels, you know you don't have to, I don't expect…" He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as he felt her lips and tongue encircle him. The way she varied the pressure of her lips, tongue, and hands brought quickly to the precipice only to ease him down again. It was the definition of tortuous pleasure as she continued her ministrations. He'd been honest when he told her that he wasn't expecting her to go down on him, he'd been told on more than one occasion by Jill and a couple other girls he'd been with in college and after that it wasn't a pleasurable experience for them, as he was – at least according to them – a bit more well endowed than other men they'd been with and quickly complained of a sore jaw and refused to go down on him again. Not that he'd ever demanded or even asked for them to, no matter how good it felt.

His eyes flew wide as she swallowed him deeper, causing him to groan at the sensation. If she kept this up, he wasn't going to last long enough to get to the main event without substantial recovery time, and as he was endeavoring to do everything in his power to pleasure his wife in every way he could, he didn't want to stop until she was completely satisfied. "Baby, baby, baby… oh God… Baby you gotta stop or else I'm not gonna last."

Her curious hum shot pleasurable vibrations through him and was nearly his undoing. Reaching down, he slowly pulled her back up, sighing as he felt himself slip from between her lips. He rolled her over until she was laid back on the pillows, her gorgeous blue eyes gazing up through her lashes at him. "Now, where were we?" He grinned, lowering his head to press gentle kisses to her lips, neck, and jaw as he nestled himself between her legs. He drifted one hand down her side and slipped it between their bodies, testing that she was ready to receive him.

He met her eyes, silently seeking permission, she nodded and rocked into him as he slid home, both of them groaning at the sensations that erupted deep from within each of them at their joining. He paused a moment, as he always did to give her time to adjust to him before slowly, deliberately withdrawing and rocking back into her, changing his angle every few thrusts to increase her pleasure. Between the anticipation for the night and their warm-up, he knew he wouldn't last much longer, but he didn't want to leave her unsatisfied. He hitched her leg up over his arm, bracing his hand on her lower back while his other hand found its way to where they were joined as he began to stroke her clit until he felt the first tremors that signaled her release was eminent. As her walls began to pulse stronger around him around him, she cried out her pleasure, her body trembling in excitement as he brought her closer to her peak.

"Oh God!" She gasped, her thrusts matching his own, "Ch… Chuck, Baby… feel… good… so good. Just like that, Baby, yes!"

He felt her walls tighten and the warm sensation of her release as he thrust jerkily into her a few more times before he was pouring into her. With one last thrust, he collapsed, careful to not squish her beneath him, and slowly withdrew. Both of them hissed at the friction it created in their already hypersensitive bodies. He felt her jump as his fingers trailed along her side while he wrapped his arm around her and rolled over on his back, pulling her close to snuggle up against him.

"Wow," Sarah sighed, laying her head on Chuck's chest.

"Yeah," He pressed a kiss to her forehead. They were both exhausted and sated as Chuck drew the covers up over them and the drifted off to sleep.


	30. Chapter 30

Sarah awoke, her head resting on Chuck's chest and her naked body intertwined with that of her husband. God, she loved the fact she could call him that now. Chuck was her husband; the thought bringing an instant smile to her lips. He must have felt the slight movement because she felt him shift and stretch.

"Mmm," He hummed, eyes blinking down at her sleepily, "Good morning, Mrs. Bartowski."

"Good morning, Mr. Bartowski," She smiled, lifting her head to accept a soft kiss, "How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty well, once I fell asleep," He teased, "Someone wanted to stay up late."

"He was quite insatiable last night, wasn't he?" She giggled, "But I'm certainly not complaining."

"I knew it, you just want me for my body," Chuck joked.

"I thought that was clear," Sarah grinned, "I mean, you're pretty impressive, I'm surprised I was the first one to tie you down?"

"That was fun," He smiled softly as he reminisced, "But I'd much rather tie you down."

"Chuck Bartowski, I can't believe you!" She gasped in mock offense and lightly smacked his chest with her left hand.

Chuck laughed as he pulled his wife into his arms and rolled them over until he was hovering above her, her wrists firmly caught above her head in one of his hands, "I can recreate the moment, if you'd like; if you're doubting it happened." He teased as he pressed kisses along her jaw and neck while his free hand roamed her body, refamiliarizing itself with her form.

"Tempting," She giggled, "But we don't have much time to play around." She nodded toward the clock on the bedside table which claimed the time was nearly nine in the morning, "The family is expecting us for brunch at ten."

"I guess we'll have to make the most of our time," Chuck grinned down at her as his hand slid further down her body, testing her. His grin grew ever wider as her eyes fluttered as he dipped one finger, then two inside her before completely withdrawing and replacing them with something a bit more filing. The gasps and mewls she let out as he made love to her helped to heighten the experience for both of them. When he released her hands, she immediately wrapped them around his neck, pulling him down for a searing kiss before she flipped them over and took control. Soon they were gasping and crying each other's names as they fell into each other sated for the time being. "Wow, Awesome was right. Married sex is way better than dating sex."

"Sweetheart, can we please not discuss your brother-in-law in bed?" Sarah groaned.

"Yeah, I can see how that might be weird," Chuck gave her a sheepish smile, "Sorry. We should probably get in the shower if we have any hope of getting downstairs in time."

"Carry me? I don't think I can move." Sarah looked up at him, her blue eyes wide causing him to chuckle at her antics.

"Okay, okay," Chuck pulled her into his arms as he sat up and shifted to the edge of the bed, "But be forewarned. If I carry you, I may just have to make it so you can't stand, either."

"What are you up to Mr. Bartowski," She asked, teasingly glaring at him.

"Come with me and you'll find out," Chuck gave her his classic eyebrow dance as he scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the lavish ensuite bathroom the honeymoon suite boasted, "Trust me, Mrs. Bartowski, you'll love it."

By the time their shower was over, she had to agree with him that she loved what he'd had in store for her as well as the man himself. They were now wrapped in the fluffy robes provided by the hotel and searching through their bag for something to wear to brunch. The plan for the day was to enjoy brunch with the family then caravan back to LA where they would have Emma take Molly for the week while they went on to LAX to catch their flight to Honolulu then over to Maui before taking the ferry to Lanai where they had a private villa booked for a few days of private time together.

They'd decided for a short trip during Sarah's spring break and a longer trip to Europe in the summer with the family with a few side trips scheduled in for themselves and the Awesomes, Emma had already insisted she have some granny time with her grandbabies. The fact Emma expected at least one more grandbaby to be conceived during the trip was not missed by either couple, not that any of them were against the notion, or were willing to admit it was a mutual hope that the trip might result in their family growing by one or two more.

For now, the focus was the trip to Hawaii for the newlyweds to have some alone time before returning and throwing themselves into the wedding madness again, this time for Morgan and Alex. It was no surprise that by the time Chuck and Sarah had dressed in jeans and a button down, and a sundress and sweater, respectively, that they were the last of the group to arrive for brunch.

"Did you two have fun last night?" Emma gave them a knowing look, causing the pair to blush, "That's what I thought, I don't need details, that reaction was more than enough for me. Now sit, we're starving and were waiting for you to get here and order your drinks before heading over to the buffet."

As if summoned by the family matriarch's words, their server appeared and took their drink orders before notating that they would be partaking in the brunch buffet and disappearing into the kitchen to retrieve the requested beverages while the family made their way over to fill their plates. While the adults took a little bit of many things, the girls got scrambled eggs and pancakes. Once everyone had enjoyed their fill of food and some conversation, they headed back to their rooms to collect their things and check out before heading back home.

The drive home was peaceful, due in part to Molly falling asleep pretty soon after they were on the highway. Arriving at home, they repacked their bags and bid goodbye to the Awesomes before taking Molly over to be dropped off with Emma. Sarah had been surprised when they boarded to find out that Chuck had booked them into first class for the flight. They sipped champagne while the flight continued to board and enjoyed a meal of baked ziti during the inflight service. The rest of the nearly six-hour flight was spent sleeping or discussing if they should start looking for a house. By the time they landed, they'd concluded that, once they returned home from Morgan and Alex's wedding, they'd start casually looking and only buy if they found the right house at the right price for them.

"So, if we were to get your dream house, what would it look like?" Chuck asked one evening as they were enjoying dinner on the veranda of their villa, "Are you're a toes in the sand kind of girl? Would you prefer a backdoor view from a bluff?"

"As nice as either of those options would be, I'd prefer something a little more simple," Sarah shrugged and took a sip from her wine. "As a kid, before my dad was arrested and I was able to go back and live with Mom, I would watch those family sitcoms when Dad was out working on his cons. I liked the simple houses in neighborhoods where the kids had friends nearby. To be honest, I always imagined a white house with a red door and a picket fence around the front yard where the kids could play."

"Maybe a dog too?" Chuck added, imagining the scene she was painting.

"Maybe," She smiled, "What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea," Chuck smiled, "I grew up in a neighborhood like that for a while, it's where I met Morgan. Nothing would make me happier than to raise our children in an area like that." He chuckled a moment drawing a look from his wife, "Oh nothing, I can just imagine Morgan's reaction when we tell him we're trying to find a place in the 'burbs."

"Why, do you think he'll give you grief for it?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, no, nothing like that," Chuck smirked and shook his head, "He'll just try to convince me to work with him to find two house next door or back-to-back with each other for sale or build two houses together in a new development. He's always had this dream that we would buy houses that could share a back yard. I think a large pool straddling the property line may have been mentioned once or twice…"

Sarah giggled at the prospect, "How old were you two when he came up with this, twelve?"

"No, it was closer to fourteen or fifteen, about the time Ellie and I sold the house we grew up in to move to a smaller apartment that was more affordable to live in." Chuck shrugged, "I think he was scared to lose me or something."

"Well, if you look at it from that angle, it's actually kind of sweet," Sarah smiled softly, "But I doubt Alex would go for it. Same neighborhood, probably, shared back yard, not likely. Ellie on the other hand might be amenable to a gate connecting the properties if we were able to have a similar set up with her and Devon."

"Now, that's an idea," Chuck grinned, "Or do away with the fence all together and…"

"If you say shared in-ground pool, so help me…"

"No, not with little children around," Chuck assured her, "At least not until they are able to swim well enough to get out if they fell in. I was thinking more along the lines of a swing set or play structure of some kind."

"I don't think I even want to know the kind of play structure you and Awesome would dream up," Sarah rolled her eyes, "But let's not count our chickens before they're hatched, why don't we just look for a house when we get home, and if we happen to find one with houses for sale nearby, we pass the info on to the Awesomes and Morgan and Alex?"

"Good plan," Chuck agreed and stood from the table with a stretch, "Now I'm thinking I'm going to go for a swim to work off some of this dinner."

"That sounds good," Sarah agreed, standing, and collecting their dishes back onto the tray to leave on the front porch to be picked up by room service later. "Let's go get our suits."

"Who said anything about suits?" Chuck gave her a cheeky grin before pulling off his shirt, "It's dark out, the next villa is too far off to see anything…"

"Charles Irving!" She gasped playfully, "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"If you are thinking about enjoying the ocean au natural, then yes," He grinned kicking off his shoes as he stepped off the back step and walked backwards, slowly undoing his belt, the button of his jeans and zipper. "You coming?"

"You'd better run!" She announced, whipping off her sundress, dropping it on the chair before removing her bra and panties and kicking off her sandals. She dashed off across the sand passing him as she shouted, "Come on!" And dove into the ocean, her husband swiftly dropping his pants and diving in after her, wrapping her up in his arms as they swam and played, letting the waves guide them as they made love amid the incoming surf.

"You know, if we keep this up, Molly may have a little brother or sister sooner rather than later," Sarah commented as she lay in her husband's arms later that evening as they relaxed in their bed after collecting their clothes and washing the sand off their bodies. "That is, if you're okay with me letting my birth control run out."

"I'm so okay with that," Chuck smiled down at her, "It may not happen right away, but I don't think we should put too much pressure on ourselves about it. Just let it happens when or if it happens."

"Agreed," Sarah yawned, "I'll schedule an appointment with my doctor when we get home, figure out if I can just stop taking it or if I need to gradually step it down."

"Good idea," Chuck kissed her head, "But we can worry about that when we get home in a couple days. For now, I think we both need a little sleep, if only to recharge the batteries to get in a little more 'practice.'"

"Hmm," Sarah smiled softly, "I like practice…"

"Good night, Baby," Chuck tilted her head up until he could press a kiss to her lips.

"Good night, Sweetie," She sighed, settling back into his arms, her head resting on his chest as they drifted off to sleep.

"Mommy! Daddy!" The nearly three-year-old blond slipped her grandmother's grasp and dashed toward the exit of the secured area of the airport, setting off an alarm as she passed the boundary going the wrong way. A few people gave the little girl and her parents judging looks as they watched the young couple scoop the little girl into their arms, cuddling her as they continued their way out to the passenger pickup area. Others gave the small family smiles and loving looks, dreaming of the day that might be them, or remember the days it had been.

"Hey Sweet Pea!" Chuck grinned, scooping Molly up in his arms and pressing a kiss to her cheek, leaning her over as he continued to walk along side his wife who likewise kissed the little girl.

"We missed you," Sarah sighed, "Were you good for Granny?"

"Yes, Mommy," The girl nodded, her blind pigtails bobbing with the motion.

"She was very well behaved," Emma agreed as her daughter and son-in-law gave her hugs, "We even picked up Clara and had a fun day at the park yesterday, didn't we?"

"Yep! Granny pushed us on the swings, we played on the slide and…." Molly gave them a breakdown of her day playing with her cousin as Chuck and Sarah listened intently while still keeping an eye out for their baggage claim carousel. She had started winding down as the buzzing sound indicating the belt was about to start brining up the bags from the airport's baggage center.

Luckily, Chuck and Sarah's bags were some of the first to appear, so they were soon able to head out of the airport and make their way home. They paused to hand Molly over to Emma for just a moment for Chuck to carry a laughing Sarah over the threshold of their condo for the first time as man and wife before Emma, followed them in chuckling at their antics.

Since they had eaten on the plane and Emma had fed Molly before they went to pick up the newlyweds, they moved right into bedtime, getting Molly changed and singing her to sleep before each of them kissed her and laid her down in her crib.

"She's getting awful big for the crib," Sarah noted as they returned to their room and began getting ready for bed themselves, "And we should probably start potty training soon, too."

"Do you think she's ready?" Chuck asked, settling into bed, and pulling the covers back for her to join him.

"I think so," Sarah nodded, sliding off her rings and setting them on the bedside table before squirting a small dollop of lotion onto her palms and rubbing it into her hands and arms as she slid under the covers. Sliding her rings back on, she laid back and snuggled into her husband's side, "She's been giving me hints she's ready lately, and your sister and my mom, along with Miss Anne have all said somewhere around two and a half to three years old is a good time to start."

"Okay," Chuck agreed, "I wasn't around much when Ellie started the process with Clara, but I do remember a few things we should probably look into and get before we start this whole thing."

"Yeah, but maybe we put a pin in that until tomorrow morning," Sarah looked up to him, "There are better ways to spend our first night home as man and wife."

"I think I know where you're going with this," Chuck grinned down at her, "And I gotta say I like they way you think, Mrs. Bartowski. C'mere." He pulled her into his arms, lavishing kisses over her lips, jaw, and neck, taking his time worshiping every inch of exposed skin as they slowly undressed each other and made love late into the night.


End file.
